Differential Expression of miR-93 and miR-21 in Granulosa Cells and Follicular Fluid of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome Associating with Different Phenotypes

The study examined the expression of miR-93 and miR-21 in granulosa cells (GCs) and follicular fluid (FF) of patients with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), specifically comparing hyperandrogenic (HA) and normo-androgenic (NA) PCOS patients to healthy controls. It was found that both miR-93 and miR-21 were significantly higher in the GCs of HA PCOS patients than in NA patients, while their levels in FF were significantly lower in the HA group compared to controls. Additionally, the study observed a downregulation of SMAD7 and TGFBR2 mRNA, components of the TGFB signaling pathway, in the GCs of HA PCOS patients, with a corresponding decrease in TGFBR2 protein levels. The expression of these microRNAs in GCs was positively correlated with free testosterone and free androgen index in the PCOS group. The study also demonstrated that dihydrotestosterone (DHT) treatment could induce the upregulation of these microRNAs, an effect that was blocked by the androgen receptor blocker bicalutamide. miR-21 was identified as a potential biomarker for PCOS with a sensitivity of 94.8% and specificity of 39.1%, and while combining microRNAs did not improve the overall diagnostic accuracy, it did increase specificity to 47.8% and slightly reduced sensitivity to 87.1%. The number of participants in each group was not specified in the summary.