Table 1.
Characteristics of the included studies.
| Author, Year | Study Type | Sample Size | Age (Years) PCOS/Controls |
Main Results Dysregulated miRNAs (Upregulated/Downregulated) |
Detected in Cell/Tissue |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cai et al., 2017 [28] | Case-control study | N = 50 (25 married women with PCOS and 25 controls) | N/A | Downregulated: miR-145 | Granulosa cells |
| Chen et al., 2013 [29] | Case-control study | N = 41 (20 control and 21 PCOS) | 27.46 ± 4.07/ 32.41 ± 6.61 |
Upregulated: miR-93, 133 and 223 | Adipose tissue |
| Ding et al., 2015 [30] | Case-control study | Screening cohort (N = 18, 9 PCOS, 9 controls) Verification cohort (N = 18, 9 PCOS, 9 controls) |
27.9 ± 4.3/ 28.7 ± 5.2 |
Upregulated: miR-5706, let-7i-3 pm, 4463, 3665 and 638 Downregulated: miR-124-3p, 128, 29a-3p and let-7c |
Serum |
| Ebrahimi et al., 2018 [31] | Case-control study | N = 372 (180 with PCOS, 192 controls) | 26.8 ± 5.5/ 27.0 ± 4.38 |
Upregulated: miR-146a | Whole blood |
| Eisenberg et al., 2017 [32] | Case-control study | N = 40 (7 normally ovulating, 15 normally ovulating with pure male infertility factor, and 18 with PCOS) | 26.9 ± 4.3/ 26.8 ± 4.7 |
Upregulated: miR-200b and 429 | Serum |
| Geng et al., 2019 [33] | Case-control study | N = 30 (15 married women with PCOS and 15 controls) | 27.23 ± 1.83/ 28.53 ± 1.85 |
Upregulated: miR-99a | Granulosa cells |
| He et al., 2018 [34] | Case-control study | N = 123 (62 with PCOS, 61 controls) | 28.27 ± 3.10/ 28.71 ± 2.46 |
Downregulated: miR-141 and 200c | Granulosa cells |
| Hosseini et al., 2017 [35] | Case-control study | N = 410 (205 with PCOS, 205 controls) | 31.2 ± 5.5/ 28.5 ± 5.0 |
Upregulated: miR-146a and 222 | Plasma |
| Hou et al., 2019 [36] | Case-control study | N = 28 (15 with PCOS, 13 controls) | 29.60 ± 0.66/ 29.66 ± 0.82 |
Upregulated: miR-3188 and 3135b | Granulosa cells |
| Hu et al., 2020 [37] | Case-control study | N/A | N/A | Upregulated: miR-6087, 199a-5p, 1433p, 483-5p, 200a-3p, and 23b-3p | Follicular fluid |
| Huang et al., 2016 [38] | Case-control study | N = 36 (18 with PCOS, 18 controls) | 32.6 ± 3.1/ 34.6 ± 2.2 |
Upregulated: miR-135b-5p, 152, 193a-3p, 194-5p, 196a-5p, 200b-3p, 423-3p, 454-3p, 455-5p, 4659a-3p, 509–3-5p, 509-3p, 513b-5p, 652-5p, 95, 1273e |
Cumulus cells |
| Jiang et al., 2016 [39] | Case-control study | N = 175 (65 with PCOS and IGM; 65 with PCOS without IGM; 45 healthy controls) | 27.16 ± 3.56/ 27.98 ± 3.66 |
Upregulated: miR-122, 194, and 193b Downregulated: miR-199b-5p |
Serum |
| Li et al., 2019 [40] | Case-control study | N = 78 (46 with PCOS, 32 controls) | 29.21 ± 4.78/ 29.43 ± 3.82 |
Upregulated: miR-33b and 142 Downregulated: miR-423 |
Granulosa cells |
| Lin et al., 2015 [41] | Case-control study | N = 18 (10 with PCOS, 8 controls) | 28.80 ± 3.97/ 32.00 ± 2.16 |
Downregulated: miR-19b, 92a, 92b, 141, and 200a | Ovarian theca internal tissues |
| Linlin Jiang, 2015 [42] | Case-control study | N = 24 (16 with PCOS, 8 controls) | 29.69 ± 2.39/ 31.75 ± 4.40 |
Upregulated: miR-93, 107 | Granulosa cells |
| Liu et al., 2015 [43] | Case-control study | N = 20 (10 with PCOS, 10 controls) | 27.4 ± 2.6/ 29.4 ± 3.0 |
Upregulated: miR-513a-3p, 508-3p, 513b, 514, 509-5p, 513c, 144, 510, 509-3p and 508-5p Downregulated: miR-151-3p, 720, 615-3p, 127-3p, 455-3p, 342-3p and 654-3p |
Cumulus cells |
| Liyan Jiang et al., 2015 [44] | Case-control study | N/A | N/A | Upregulated: miR21,222,16,19a,30c, 146a, 24 and 186 | Serum |
| Long et al., 2014 [45] | Multistage restrospective, nested case-control study | N = 136 (68 with PCOS, 68 controls) | 26.6 ± 2.8/ 27.9 ± 3.4 |
Upregulated: miR-222, 146a and 30c |
Serum |
| Luo et al., 2019 [46] | Case-control study | N = 12 (4 with POR, 4 with PCOS, 4 controls) | PCOS (27.00 ± 3.26) POR (37.00 ± 3.16) Controls (29.00 ± 3.22) |
Upregulated: miR-23a | Granulosa cells |
| Mao et al., 2018 [47] | Case-control study | N = 69 (43 with PCOS, 26 controls) | 30.2 ± 2.8/ 31.1 ± 2.1 |
Downregulated: miR-126-5p and 29a-5p | Granulosa cells |
| McAllister et al., 2019 [48] | Case-control study | N = 14 (7 with PCOS, 7 controls) | N/A | Upregulated: miR-100-5p, 99b-5p, 1271-5p, 409-5p, 744, 410-3p, 127-3p, 654-5p, 494-3p, 1301-3p, 502-3p, 501-3p and 1293 Downregulated: miR-125a-3p,148b-5p, 195-5p,130b-3p and 4542a-5p |
Ovarian theca cells |
| McCallie et al., 2010 [49] | Descriptive study | N = 44 | N/A | Downregulated: miR-let-7a, 19a, 19b, 24, 92, and 93 |
Blastocysts |
| Murri et al., 2013 [50] | Case-control study | N = 36 (12 with PCOS, 12 healthy women, 12 men) | 27 ± 4/ 29 ± 3 |
Upregulated: miR-21,27b, 103 and 155 | Whole blood |
| Murri et al., 2018 [51] | Case-control study | N = 35 (12 with PCOS, 11 healthy women, 12 men) | 27 ± 4/ 28 ± 3 |
Upregulated: miR-34c-5p and 548d-3p Downregulated: miR-26a-5p, 30c-5p, 107 and 199a-3p |
Serum |
| Naji et al., 2017 [52] | Case-control study | N = 66 (19 with normoandrogenic PCOS, 22 with hyperandrogenic PCOS, 25 controls) | 28.89 ± 1.07/ 28.24 ± 0.82 |
Upregulated in granulosa cells: miR-93 Downregulated in follicular fluid: miR-93 and 21 | Follicular fluid, granulosa cells |
| Naji et al., 2018 [53] | Case-control study | N = 41 (20 with PCOS, 21 controls) | 29.25 ± 0.84/ 28.42 ± 0.91 |
Upregulated in follicular fluid: miR-182 Downregulated in granulosa-lutein cells: miR-145 and 182 |
Serum, granulosa-lutein cells, follicular fluid |
| Nanda et al., 2020 [54] | Case-control study | N = 40 (20 with PCOS, 20 controls) | 28.35 ± 7.45/ 25.15 ± 4.12 |
Upregulated: miR-122, 194, and 193b Downregulated: miR-199b-5p |
Serum |
| Rashad et al., 2019 [55] | Case-control study | N = 100 (60 with PCOS, 40 controls) | N/A | Downregulated: miR-320 | Serum |
| Roth et al., 2014 [56] | Case-control study | N/A | 33.1 ± 4.4/ 27.1 ± 3.6 |
Upregulated: miR-32, 34c, 135a, 18b, and 9 | Follicular fluid |
| Sang et al., 2013 [57] | Case-control study | N = 44 (22 with PCOS, 22 controls) | 29.09 ± 0.70/ 30.83 ± 0.90 |
Downregulated: miR-132 and 320 | Follicular fluid |
| Sathyapalan et al., 2015 [58] | Case-control study | N = 49 (25 with PCOS, 24 controls) | 32.1 ± 9.0/ 32.2 ± 7.7 |
Upregulated: miR-93 and 223 | Plasma |
| Scalici et al., 2016 [59] | Case-control study | N = 121 (30 with PCOS, 91 controls) | Mean age for cohort 33.7 ± 4.5 |
Upregulated: miR-30a Downregulated: miR-140 and let-7b | Follicular fluid |
| Shi et al., 2015 [60] | Case-control study | N = 48 (24 with PCOS, 24 controls) | 28.3 ± 3.3/ 28.5 ± 3.6 |
Downregulated: miR-483–5p and 486–5p | Cumulus cells |
| Song et al., 2015 [61] | Case-control study | N = 134 (67 with PCOS, 67 controls) | 26.7 ± 2.7/ 27.6 ± 3.3 |
Downregulated: miR-592,124-3p, 128, 29-3p, 16, 106b, 19a, 24, 186, let-7c and 1228 |
Serum |
| Song et al., 2016 [62] | Case-control study | N = 42 (21 with PCOS, 21 controls) with preceded pilot study (N = 17) | 23 ± 4/ 24 ± 6 |
Downregulated: miR-4522, 324-3p, and 6767-5p |
Serum |
| Song et al., 2019 [63] | Case-control study | N = 83 (63 with PCOS, 20 controls) | 28.21 ± 2.78/ 27.43 ± 3.62 |
Upregulated: miR-186 and 135a | Granulosa cells |
| Sørensen et al., 2016 [64] | Case-control study |
N = 70 49 PCOS women (19 of which were hyperandrogenic and 30 normo-androgenic) and 21 healthy matched women |
28.1 ± 4.3/ 27.8 ± 3.8 |
Upregulated: miR-518f-3p, Downregulated: miR-24-3p, -29a, -151-3p, and -574-3p |
Follicular fluid |
| Sørensen et al., 2016 [65] | Case-control study |
N = 62 42 PCOS patients and 20 Controls |
27.0 ± 7.5/ 27.0 ± 6.3 |
Upregulated: miR-485-3p, miR-1290, and miR-7-1-3p Downregulated: miR-21-3p, miR-139-3p, miR -572, miR-361-5p, miR-143-3p, miR-345-5p, miR-1276, and miR-22-5p |
Follicular fluid |
| Wang et al., 2018 [66] | Case-control study |
N = 30 17 PCOS patients and 13 controls |
28.7 ± 0.7/ 30.0 ± 0.7 |
Upregulated: miR-27a-3p | Granulosa cells |
| Wang et al., 2019 [67] | Case-control study |
N = 45 24 PCOS patients and 21 controls |
28.7 ± 0.8/ 29.6 ± 1.0 |
Upregulated: miR-3188 and 3135b | Granulosa cells |
| Wu et al., 2014 [68] | Case-control study |
N = 31 16 women with PCOS (8 with and 8 without IR) and 15 non-PCOS (9 with and 6 without IR). |
32.33 ± 5.03/ 25.49 ± 5.56 |
Upregulated: miR-93, and 25 | Adipose tissue |
| Xiang et al., 2016 [69] | Case-control study | N = 40 (20 with PCOS, 20 controls) | 27.3 ± 2.5/ 28.2 ± 3.7 |
Downregulated: miR-483 | Ovarian cortex |
| Xiong et al., 2017 [70] | Case-control study | N = 48 (18 with PCOS, 30 controls) | N/A | Downregulated: miR-23a and 23b | Serum |
| Xu et al., 2015 [71] | Case-control study | N = 41 (21 with PCOS, 20 controls) | N/A | Upregulated: miR-423-3p, 3651, 3653, 151b, 1273 g-3p, 590-5p, 3648, 7845-5p, 27a-5p, 1275, 483-3p, 7-5p, 483-5p, 10a-5p, 184, 619-5p, 513b-5p, 1307-5p, 4516, 1307-3p, 514b-5p Downregulated: miR-3529-3p, 7974, 3065-5p, 214-3p, 200a-3p, 203a, 4732-5p, 423-5p, 3184-5p, 548n, 221-3p, 149-5p, 1298-5p, 193a-3p, 365a-3p, 219a-1-3p, 550b-2-5p, 144-5p, 660-5p, 548e-3p, 652-3p, 222-3p,506-5p, 193a-5p, 210-5p, 365b-5p, 330-3p, 223-3p, 186-5p, 185-5p, 92b-3p, 199b-3p, 766-5p, 15b-3p, 339-5p, 3960, 766-3p, let-7a-3p |
Cumulus granulosa cells |
| Xue et al., 2018 [72] | Case-control study | N = 6 (3 with PCOS, 3 controls) | N/A | Upregulated: miR-200a-3p, 10b-3p, 200b-3p,29c-3p, 99a-3p and 125a-5p Downregulated: miR-105-3p |
Follicular fluid |
| Yao et al., 2018 [73] | Prospective, observational study | Female Sprague–Dawley rats (23 days old) | N/A | Downregulated: miR-335-5p | Follicular fluid |
| Yao et al., 2018 [74] | Case-control study | N = 106 (55 with PCOS, 51 controls) | 28.13 ± 0.41/ 27.37 ± 0.46 |
Downregulated: miR-335-5p | Follicular fluid |
| Yin et al., 2014 [75] | Prospective, observational study | Mice ovaries | N/A | Upregulated: miR-320 and miR-383 | Follicular fluid, granulosa cells |
| Zhang et al., 2017 [76] | Case-control study | N = 33 (21 with PCOS, 12 controls) | N/A | Downregulated: miR-320a | Cumulus cells |
| Zhang et al., 2018 [77] | Case-control study | N = 40 (20 with PCOS, 20 controls) | N/A | Upregulated: miR-873-5p | Follicular fluid |
| Zhao et al., 2015 [78] | Multistage retrospective nested case-control study | N = 384 patients with PCOS; 30 with developed OHSS after IVF/ICSI and 70 controls | 27.93 ± 3.84/ 27.70 ± 3.44 |
Upregulated: miR-146a, 30c and 191 Downregulated: miR-16, 223, 212, 451 and 92a |
Serum |
| Zhong et al., 2018 [79] | Case-control study | N = 28 (18 with PCOS, 10 controls) | N/A | Downregulated: miR-19b | Granulosa cells, ovarian cortex |
Abbreviations: IGM—impaired glucose metabolism; IR—insulin resistance; miR—microRNA; N/A—not available; OHSS—ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome; PCOS—polycystic ovarian syndrome; POR—poor ovarian response.