PATHOLOGICAL ROLE OF GUT MICROBIOTA AND SERUM METABOLITES IN DEVELOPMENT AND PROGRESSION OF POLYCYSTIC OVARY SYNDROME

Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) is a common female endocrinopathy with unknown origins that is characterized by hyperandrogenism, oligo-/anovulation, and ovarian cysts. Obesity, insulin resistance, and systemic low grade inflammation are all common in women with PCOS. In 2012, tremellen and pearce proposed the idea that dysbiosis of the intestinal (gut) microbiota is a contributing factor to PCOS metabolic and reproductive manifestations. The gut microbiota has been shown to play a role in the onset and progression of many diseases, including type 2 diabetes, obesity, coronary heart disease, and so on. In the past five years, studies in both human and animal models have determined that alterations in the taxonomic composition of gut bacteria are associated with PCOS. It sheds light on the pathogenesis of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). This study provided the link between gut microbial composition and serum metabolites contributing to the occurrence and development of PCOS. Altogether, these results suggest that dysbiosis of the gut microbiome may be sufficient to develop PCOS-like symptoms, and the modulation of gut microbiota may be a potential therapeutic target for PCOS.