Causal relationship between inflammatory cytokines and polycystic ovary syndrome: a bidirectional mendelian randomization study

This study investigates the causal relationship between inflammatory cytokines and polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) using bidirectional Mendelian randomization with Genome Wide Association Study data. The analysis of 91 inflammatory cytokines revealed that interleukin-1-alpha (IL-1 A) and oncostatin-M (OSM) levels are positively associated with the development of PCOS, while interleukin-7 (IL-7), interleukin-15 receptor subunit alpha (IL15RA), and C-X-C motif chemokine 11 (CXCL11) levels are negatively associated. The study found no strong evidence that PCOS triggers inflammatory factor production, suggesting that while inflammatory factors contribute to PCOS, the reverse is not true. These findings provide genetic evidence linking systemic inflammatory regulators to PCOS and suggest that targeting specific inflammatory factors could mitigate PCOS risk.