MicroRNA Crossroads in PCOS and Endometriosis

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Abstract

In the intricate landscape of health disorders in women, polycystic ovary syndrome and endometriosis stand out. Despite their complete etiology being unknown, their impact on women's health and link to hereditary factors have given them the spotlight in the world of gynaecology and endocrinology. These two conditions although vastly different, share common symptoms, clinical manifestations, pathways and genetic and epigenetic factors and regulators [10, 39]. Decoding the link between the two conditions can lead to enormous breakthroughs in the diagnostic and therapeutic aspects of gynaecological disorders and possibly aid in the unravelling of unknown mechanisms associated with the pathophysiology of PCOS and endometriosis. MicroRNAs being small and potent regulators of gene expression, are infamous for their role in regulation of mRNA expression and aiding in post transcriptional modifications and their association with gynaecological disorders and impact on the endocrine system, typically the Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Ovarian axis has garnered an enormous amount of attention. MicroRNAs are known to affect pathways linked to inflammation, immunity, neuroendocrine stress response, fertility, metabolism, environmental response and are actively associated with the clinical manifestations of a plethora of diseases and disorders [37, 49-51]. This comprehensive review showcases the multifaceted roles of microRNAs involved in gynaecological disorders, specifically PCOS and endometriosis, offering avenues for microRNAs as possible therapeutic and diagnostic markers in gynaecological disorders, harnessing their applications to the maximum extent, possibly aiding in betterment of overall health in women.
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Abstract

In the intricate landscape of health disorders in women, polycystic ovary syndrome and endometriosis stand out. Despite their complete etiology being unknown, their impact on women’s health and link to hereditary factors have given them the spotlight in the world of gynaecology and endocrinology. These two conditions although vastly different, share common symptoms, clinical manifestations, pathways and genetic and epigenetic factors and regulators [10, 39]. Decoding the link between the two conditions can lead to enormous breakthroughs in the diagnostic and therapeutic aspects of gynaecological disorders and possibly aid in the unravelling of unknown mechanisms associated with the pathophysiology of PCOS and endometriosis. MicroRNAs being small and potent regulators of gene expression, are infamous for their role in regulation of mRNA expression and aiding in post transcriptional modifications and their association with gynaecological disorders and impact on the endocrine system, typically the Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Ovarian axis has garnered an enormous amount of attention. MicroRNAs are known to affect pathways linked to inflammation, immunity, neuroendocrine stress response, fertility, metabolism, environmental response and are actively associated with the clinical manifestations of a plethora of diseases and disorders [37, 49,50,51]. This comprehensive review showcases the multifaceted roles of microRNAs involved in gynaecological disorders, specifically PCOS and endometriosis, offering avenues for microRNAs as possible therapeutic and diagnostic markers in gynaecological disorders, harnessing their applications to the maximum extent, possibly aiding in betterment of overall health in women. Similar content being viewed by others Data Availability Not applicable.

References

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Micrornas in endometriosis: biological function and emerging biomarker candidates. Biol Reprod. 2019;101(6):1167–78. Surmann H, Kiesel L. The role of MiRNA in endometriosis-related infertility—an update. Int J Mol Sci. 2025;26(12):5862. Eivazi S, Tanhaye Kalate Sabz F, Amiri S, Zandieh Z, Bakhtiyari M, Rashidi M, et al. Mirnas secreted by human blastocysts could be potential gene expression regulators during implantation. Mol Biol Rep. 2022;50(2):1375–83. Funding Not applicable. Author information Authors and Affiliations Contributions Girrijha Sambath conceptualized the idea, gathered preliminary literature, and drafted the manuscript. Januki Kalai contributed to data retrieval and supported drafting and editing. Dr. V. Deepa Parvathi conceptualized the idea, reviewed, edited and corrected the manuscript. Dr. G. Usha Rani, Dr. R. Sumitha and Dr. W. Jabez Osborne provided key ideas and assisted with reviewing and editing. Dr. V. Deepa Parvathi supervised the entire work. Corresponding author Ethics declarations Ethics Approval Not Applicable. Competing Interests The authors have no conflict of interest to declare. Additional information Publisher’s Note Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. Rights and permissions Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law. About this article Cite this article Sambath, G., Kalai, J., G., U.R. et al. MicroRNA Crossroads in PCOS and Endometriosis. Reprod. Sci. 33, 12–31 (2026). https://doi.org/10.1007/s43032-025-02037-9 Received: Accepted: Published: Version of record: Issue date: DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s43032-025-02037-9

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