Abstract
Premature ovarian insufficiency (POI) is defined as a loss of ovarian function before the age of 40 years, with a prevalence rate estimated at approximately 1%. It causes infertility and is related to serious long-term health consequences, including reduced life expectancy, increased cardiovascular risk, decreased bone mineral density and neurological disorders. There is currently no effective therapy for POI that is widely available in clinical practice; therefore, the treatment of patients with POI is based on hormone replacement therapy. One of the recent advances in the understanding of the pathophysiology of POI has been the role of microRNAs (miRNAs) and other noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs) in the disease. Moreover, intensive research on human folliculogenesis and reproductive biology has led to the development of novel promising therapeutic strategies with the use of exosomal miRNAs derived from mesenchymal stem cells to restore ovarian function in POI patients. This narrative review focuses on the new studies concerning the role of ncRNAs in the pathogenesis of POI, together with their potential as biomarkers of the disease and targets for therapy.
Highlights
Premature ovarian insufficiency (POI) is defined as a loss of ovarian function before the age of 40 years. It was first described by Fuller Albright in 1942, and since that time, different terms have been used for this condition, such as premature ovarian failure (POF), premature menopause, early menopause, primary ovarian failure and primary ovarian insufficiency [1,2]
We focus on the new studies concerning the role of miRNAs in the pathogenesis of POI, together with their potential as biomarkers of the disease and targets for therapy
Another study indicated that miR-644-5p carried by bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) (BMSC)-derived exosomes inhibited the apoptosis of ovarian granulosa cell by targeting p53, suggesting that miR-644-5p has the potential to treat POI and restore ovarian function [95]
Summary
Premature ovarian insufficiency (POI) is defined as a loss of ovarian function before the age of 40 years. Research concerning various mechanisms of POI pathophysiology may help find specific targets for both the effective treatment of infertility and prevention of the long-term complications in this group of patients. One of the recent advances in the pathophysiology of POI has been the elucidation of the role of microRNAs (miRNA) and other noncoding RNAs (ncRNA), giving an opportunity to develop new treatment strategies. In this narrative review, we focus on the new studies concerning the role of miRNAs in the pathogenesis of POI, together with their potential as biomarkers of the disease and targets for therapy
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