miR-532-3p: a possible altered miRNA in cumulus cells of infertile women with advanced endometriosis undergoing controlled ovarian stimulation

Abstract Research question : Is the profile of miRNAs altered in cumulus cells (CCs) of infertile women with early (EI/II) and advanced (EIII/IV) endometriosis? Design : In this prospective case-control study, a miRNA profile including 754 targets was evaluated in samples of CCs from infertile women with endometriosis (5 EI/II, 5 EIII/IV) and infertile controls (5IC, male and/or tubal factor) undergoing COS for ICSI, using TaqMan® Array Human MicroRNA Cards A and B. The groups were compared with Kruskal-Wallis test, followed by Benjamini-Hochberg correction (p Results : Only the miRNA miR-532-3p showed significant differences among the analyzed groups, being downregulated in the EIII/IV group compared to IC group, as well as compared to EI/II group. The enrichment analysis showed that some genes regulated by this miRNA are involved in important pathways for the acquisition of oocyte competence, such as oxytocin, calcium, Wnt, FoxO, ErbB and Ras signaling pathways, as well as oocyte meiosis pathway. Conclusion : The present findings bring new perspectives on the understanding of the follicular microenvironment of infertile women with different stages of endometriosis. We suggest that the dysregulation of miR-532-3p may be a potential mechanism involved in the etiopathogenesis of endometriosis-related infertility. Further studies are needed to evaluate those pathways in CCs of infertile women with the disease, as well as their impact on the acquisition of oocyte competence.