ESPE Abstracts

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a prevalent disorder in adolescent girls, commonly driven by hepato-visceral fat excess, usually presenting with hirsutism and menstrual irregularity, and often followed by subfertility and type 2 diabetes.

We studied the miRNA profile of adolescent girls with PCOS, and the effects of randomized treatment with an oral contraceptive (OC) or with spironolactone-pioglitazone-metformin (SPIOMET, aiming at loss of hepato-visceral fat excess) for 1 year. Post-treatment ovulation rates were assessed by salivary progesterone. The miRNA profiling was performed by RNA sequencing, differentially expressed miRNAs being validated by qRT-PCR in 13 control and 31 PCOS girls.

Girls with PCOS had markedly reduced concentrations of circulating miR-451a, miR-652-3p, miR-106b-5p and miR-206; pathway enrichment analysis showed that these miRNAs target genes involved in energy homeostasis and cell-cycle control. In the present study, miR-451a could diagnose PCOS (versus a healthy condition) with 100% sensitivity and 100% specificity. SPIOMET (but not OC) was accompanied by on-treatment normalization of the miRNA profile in PCOS girls; miR-451a concentrations after 1 year on OC or SPIOMET treatment associated closely (r=0.66; P<0.0001) with post-treatment ovulation rates.

In conclusion, circulating miR-451a may become a biomarker contributing to guide the diagnosis and treatment of PCOS in adolescent girls.