Low circulating levels of miR-451a in girls with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome: different effects of randomized treatments

Context: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a prevalent disorder in adolescent girls,  purportedly driven by hepato-visceral fat excess, and often followed by subfertility and type 2 diabetes.  

Objective:we studied the baseline miRNA profile of girls with PCOS, and the effects of a randomized treatment with an oral contraceptive (OC) or with spironolactone-pioglitazone-metformin (SPIOMET, aiming at loss of hepato-visceral fat excess) for 1 year. 

Design & Patients:The miRNA profile was assessed by RNA sequencingin girls with PCOS who had participated in a randomized, open-label, single-center, pilot study (n=31; age 15.7 years, BMI 23.1 Kg/m2). Healthy age- and BMI-matched girls (n=13) served as controls. Differentially expressedmiRNAs were validated by qRT-PCR in the entire study population. Post-treatment ovulation rates were assessed by salivary progesterone in PCOS girls.

Setting:Endocrinology Department, University Hospital

Results: Girls with PCOS -as compared to...