Searching for the mechanisms of the polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) pathophysiology has become a crucial aspect of research performed in the last decades. However, the pathogenesis of this complex and heterogeneous endocrinopathy remains unknown. Thus, there is a need to investigate the metabolic pathways, which could be involved in the pathophysiology of PCOS and to find the metabolic markers of this disorder. The application of metabolomics gives a promising insight into the research on PCOS. It is a valuable and rapidly expanding tool, enabling the discovery of novel metabolites, which may be the potential biomarkers of several metabolic and endocrine disorders. The utilization of this approach could also improve the process of diagnosis and therefore, make treatment more effective. This review article aims to summarize actual and meaningful metabolomic studies in PCOS and point to the potential biomarkers detected in serum, urine, and follicular fluid of the affected women.
Keywords: biomarkers; mass spectrometry; metabolites; metabolomics; polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).