Association of miR-21 Expression and hormonal disorder in woman with polycystic ovary syndrome
Abstract: And dysfunction of reproductive age, which is frequently accompanied by a metabolic disorder and hormonal imbalance. Recent evidence implicates microRNAs (miRNAs), particularly miR-21, as key regulators of metabolic and inflammatory pathways. The current study was designed to evaluate the expression level of miR-21 and its association with selected physiological markers in women with PCOS. Sixty women diagnosed as having PCOS, and 20 healthy women who served as controls were studied in a comparative cross- sectional study. The age of the participants varied between 20 to 41 years with a mean age of 28.18 ± 0.77 years. Serum was obtained from bloods and measured for hormonal biomarkers of luteinizing hormone (LH), follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) and free testosterone. The expression of microRNA-21 was analyzed by qRT-PCR. The results reveal a significant increase (p < 0.05) of body mass index, AMH, LH, FSH and LH/FSH ratio in women with PCOS when compared to the control group. MiR-21 expression levels were also higher in the PCOS group. Important associations were also found: miR-21 expression was correlated with age and body mass index. Conclusion: Significant hormonal and metabolic changes associated with increased miR-21 expression occur in women with PCOS. These results indicate that miR-21 could be a potential biomarker for assessing the disease course and metabolic disorders in PCOS. More large-scale studies are needed to validate its diagnostic and prognostic value.