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levonorgestrel-releasing intrauterine system (Liletta / LNG20 / LNG 20)

✓ Approved

AbbVie, Inc. · PGR · Steroids

What is levonorgestrel-releasing intrauterine system?

levonorgestrel-releasing intrauterine system is a steroids developed by AbbVie, Inc.. It is approved for therapeutic indications via others or surgical implantation.

Drug Profile

Brand NamesLiletta, LNG20, LNG 20
CompanyAbbVie, Inc.
Drug ClassSteroids, Small Molecule
Molecular TargetPGR
RouteOthers, Surgical Implantation
StatusApproved
Sources: ClinicalTrials.gov, AbbVie, Inc.

Mechanism of Action

Molecular Targets

levonorgestrel-releasing intrauterine system acts on 1 molecular target:

PGRprogesterone receptor (NR3C3, PR)
Want deeper analysis?Noah AI can explain complex mechanisms and compare to similar drugs.

Therapeutic Indications

levonorgestrel-releasing intrauterine system is developed for 1 unique indication across 1 therapeutic area.

Therapeutic AreaConditionPhase
Reproductive system and breast disordersHeavy menstrual bleeding✓ Approved

Related Research Articles

PubMedFrontiers in endocrinology2026-09-19

Amniotic-fluid metabolomics identifies phospholipid remodeling as a metabolic signature of intrauterine exposure in pregnancies with polycystic ovary syndrome.

Wu Shimin S, Shi Jiayu J, He Chenyan C, Chen Jie J et al.

Polycystic ovary syndrome is associated with metabolic and hormonal disturbances during pregnancy, but whether these alterations are reflected in the fetal intrauterine exposure environment remains incompletely understood. This study aimed to identify polycystic ovary syndrome-related intrauterine metabolic signatures using late-gestation amniotic fluid. Untargeted metabolomic profiling was performed on late-gestation amniotic fluid samples from women with polycystic ovary syndrome and controls. Differential metabolite analysis, pathway-level analysis, and multilevel sensitivity analyses were conducted to identify robust metabolic alterations associated with maternal polycystic ovary syndrome. Exploratory placental transcriptomic analysis and targeted RT-qPCR assessment in an independent sample set were further used to examine tissue-level molecular changes related to the lipidomic findings. Amniotic fluid from pregnancies with polycystic ovary syndrome showed a distinct metabolic profile dominated by lipid remodeling. Differential metabolites were mainly enriched in membrane phospholipids, sphingolipid-related metabolites, polyunsaturated fatty acid-related pathways, and selected steroid hormone-related metabolites. Phospholipid remodeling was characterized by decreased phosphatidylcholine species, increased phosphatidylethanolamine species, a lower phosphatidylcholine/phosphatidylethanolamine ratio, and redistribution of arachidonic acid-containing phospholipids. Alpha-linolenic acid metabolism provided an additional polyunsaturated fatty acid-related signal. Sphingolipid enrichment suggested that lipid alterations extended from membrane structural remodeling to lipid-mediated signaling. Selected steroid hormone-related metabolites were also elevated, consistent with an altered hormonal milieu in pregnancies with polycystic ovary syndrome. These signatures remained largely stable across sensitivity analyses, as did the multivariable-adjusted inverse association between PE(16:0/20:4) and birth weight. Exploratory placental transcriptomic analysis and targeted RT-qPCR assessment in a small independent cohort provided preliminary tissue-level support for phospholipid-related molecular alterations, with the clearest changes involving PLA2-family genes and PCYT1A, suggesting cross-cohort convergence at the pathway level. These findings identify phospholipid remodeling as a major amniotic-fluid metabolic signature of polycystic ovary syndrome-related intrauterine exposure. PUFA-related metabolism, sphingolipid enrichment, and steroid hormone-related alterations provide additional metabolic context. Complementary placental molecular findings and the inverse association between PE(16:0/20:4) and birth weight further suggest potential links with the maternal-fetal interface and fetal growth. Further studies are needed to clarify the biological relevance of these changes and their potential role in offspring metabolic susceptibility.

PMID 42760943
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PubMedNature reviews. Immunology2026-09-19

Plasticity of the infant immune system during the perinatal period.

Kierdorf Katrin K, Sperandio Markus M, Hornef Mathias W MW, Henneke Philipp P

All mammalian offspring, regardless of their developmental stage at birth, must survive the fetal-to-postnatal transition from intrauterine dependence on the mother to postnatal independence. A major challenge in this context is the allocation of limited energy resources between tissue development and growth, energy-intensive responses to infection and the establishment of host-microbial homeostasis. For a long time, it was thought that early-life immunity was immature and dysfunctional. It is only recently that we have begun to understand, at a mechanistic level, how perinatal immunity is tailored to mediate the transition to postnatal life. This adaptation requires a high degree of temporal plasticity, which integrates the developmental trajectories of immune cells, changes in barrier permeability, effects of the microbiota, the waning contribution of maternal immunity and effects of early-life antigen exposure. This Review analyses the existing evidence for perinatal immune plasticity and its underlying mechanisms and consequences, with a particular focus on myeloid cells and barrier immunity. It synthesizes models as to how this immune plasticity may be induced, maintained and therapeutically modulated, even beyond infancy, while highlighting interspecies differences and commonalities, as well as current research needs.

PMID 42760360
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PubMedBiomaterials translational2026-09-19

Shellac-based encapsulation model incorporating calcium fluoride for oral care applications.

Dissara Piyada P, Sukcheep Chompunuch C, Ekgasit Sanong S, Pienpinijtham Prompong P et al.

Fluoride-releasing systems are widely incorporated into dental products to prevent caries; however, fluoride ions readily interact with calcium compounds in oral formulations, resulting in deactivation and reduced effectiveness. To overcome this limitation, a simple extrusion method was designed to fabricate shellac-based biopolymer beads capable of encapsulating fluoride. The resulting beads had an average diameter of 2.54 ± 0.22 mm, with theoretical analysis supporting particle size dependence on extrusion tube diameter. Structural and stability characterization was conducted using optical and electron microscopy, elemental analysis, vibrational spectroscopy, and thermal profiling, confirming in situ calcium fluoride formation and effective pore sealing. Key formulation parameters-including shellac concentration, dissolution time, bead formation time, and hardening time-were optimized to improve bead morphology and fluoride retention. An in situ blocking strategy, involving controlled precipitation of calcium fluoride within the bead matrix during formulation, was implemented to minimize fluoride diffusion and enhance long-term stability. This approach achieved 70% active fluoride retention over 90 days. The proposed encapsulation model holds promise for applications in toothpaste and other dental care products.

PMID 42760917
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PubMedMedicine2026-09-19

Emergency surgical management of acute Stanford type A aortic dissection in a primigravida at 29 weeks gestation: A case report.

Gan Jianping J, An Jingjing J

Acute aortic dissection during the 3rd trimester of pregnancy is a catastrophic cardiovascular emergency. The management is complex, requiring a multidisciplinary strategy to balance the competing risks of aortic rupture and fetal prematurity, as well as the conflict between surgical anticoagulation and postpartum hemorrhage. We report a case of a 34-year-old primigravida (29 weeks and 3 days of gestation) presenting with sudden, severe chest and back pain lasting over 7 hours following physical exertion. She had a history of developmental dysplasia of the left hip and thalassemia. Computed tomography angiography confirmed acute Stanford type A aortic dissection involving the ascending aorta and aortic arch branches and extending to the bilateral common iliac arteries, with severe true-lumen compression. Given the life-threatening nature of the dissection and fetal viability, a multidisciplinary team performed an emergency coordinated sequential combined procedure. Cesarean delivery was undertaken 1st. Because of initial uterine atony and the requirement for subsequent full systemic heparinization for cardiopulmonary bypass, a Bakri intrauterine balloon was inserted to secure uterine hemostasis. After abdominal closure, the patient underwent aortic valve commissural resuspension, total arch replacement, and frozen elephant trunk implantation. A viable preterm female infant weighing 1320 g was delivered and survived to neonatal intensive care unit discharge after respiratory support. Maternal uterine hemostasis was maintained during systemic heparinization, with estimated surgical blood loss of approximately 600 mL. Despite the patient's underlying thalassemia, no allogeneic red blood cell transfusion was required; transfusion was limited to 1 therapeutic unit of irradiated apheresis platelets. The mother recovered without neurological deficits. This case illustrates a coordinated cesarean-delivery-followed-by-aortic-repair strategy that avoided fetal exposure to cardiopulmonary bypass. Bakri balloon tamponade provided an organ-sparing means of securing uterine hemostasis before systemic heparinization. In young patients with thoracic aortic disease and possible syndromic features, structured genetic evaluation and family surveillance may be considered when feasible.

PMID 42760744
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PubMedJournal of ovarian research2026-09-19

Hypothalamic Epac2/AKT/GnRH signalling is associated with metformin-responsive neuroendocrine improvement in a PCOS model.

Guo Na N, Li Hongyun H, He Jinhong J, Zhou Huanhuan H et al.

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a complex endocrine-metabolic disorder characterised by hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis dysfunction and pathological gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) hypersecretion. While metformin demonstrates therapeutic efficacy in PCOS, its potential neuroendocrine mechanisms remain incompletely understood. This study aimed to investigate the involvement of hypothalamic signalling in metformin-responsive neuroendocrine regulation in PCOS. Letrozole-induced PCOS rat models were treated with metformin to assess reproductive and metabolic outcomes. Data-independent acquisition (DIA) proteomics of hypothalamic tissue was performed to identify dysregulated pathways, followed by network analysis to explore candidate regulatory nodes. Mechanistic investigations were conducted in glucosamine-induced insulin-resistant GT1-7 GnRH neurons using pharmacological modulation and siRNA knockdown. In vivo functional relevance was examined using AAV-mediated Epac2 knockdown in the mouse arcuate nucleus. Metformin improved metabolic and reproductive abnormalities in PCOS rats, including insulin resistance, GnRH/LH hypersecretion, estrous cyclicity disruption, and ovarian morphological alterations. Hypothalamic proteomic and network analyses suggested that metformin-responsive changes were associated with insulin and cAMP-related signalling pathways. In GT1-7 neurons, metformin increased Epac2 expression, restored AKT signalling, and reduced GnRH overproduction under insulin-resistant conditions. Hypothalamic Epac2 knockdown reduced AKT signalling and was associated with systemic insulin resistance, increased GnRH/LH secretion, and preliminary supportive ovarian morphological observations, consistent with a functional contribution of Epac2 to reproductive-metabolic regulation. These findings support the involvement of hypothalamic Epac2/AKT/GnRH signalling in metformin-responsive neuroendocrine regulation in PCOS. Further studies are required to determine the relative contributions of central and peripheral mechanisms.

PMID 42760541
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PubMedMedicine2026-09-19

An intelligent OCR-LLM prescription review system for inpatient narcotic and psychotropic drugs: Development and retrospective validation.

Ma Rong R, Xu Kai K, Zhang Mingming M, Li Xiangpeng X et al.

This study aimed to construct an intelligent prescription review system for inpatient narcotic and psychotropic drugs based on deep learning-based optical character recognition (OCR) and a local large language model (LLM) and evaluate its review performance and closed-loop management value. This study adopted a combined system development and retrospective validation design. Prescription images were first processed using OCR for text recognition and layout reconstruction. A local LLM was then applied to convert unstructured prescription text into standardized JavaScript Object Notation-formatted data. Subsequently, a locally developed rule base for narcotic and psychotropic drugs was used to evaluate prescription completeness, diagnosis-based dosage limits, medication instructions, physician signatures, and residual drug handling for injectable formulations. Using pharmacists' manual review results as the reference standard, 500 inpatient prescriptions for narcotic and psychotropic drugs were retrospectively included. System performance was evaluated in terms of accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, F1 score, and Cohen's kappa coefficient. The system successfully implemented prescription image recognition, text structuring, rule-based validation, signature verification, residual drug calculation, and triggers for manual pharmacist review. In the retrospective validation, compared with pharmacists' manual review, the system identified 144 true positives, 16 false positives, 334 true negatives, and 6 false negatives. The overall accuracy was 95.6%, sensitivity was 96.0%, specificity was 95.4%, positive predictive value was 90.0%, negative predictive value was 98.2%, F1 score was 0.929, and Cohen's kappa coefficient was 0.897. The proposed OCR-LLM-based intelligent prescription review system for inpatient narcotic and psychotropic drugs demonstrates high accuracy and strong consistency. It can serve as a front-end screening and decision-support tool for pharmacists and provides technical support for standardized, traceable, and closed-loop management of specially controlled medications.

PMID 42760707
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