Introduction: Endometriosis is a gynecological disorder characterized by tumor-like biological behaviors. In this disease, tissue similar to endometrium grows outside the uterine cavity and invades nearby organs such as the ovaries, bladder, colon, or pelvic peritoneum. Endometriosis has been reported in 10% of women of reproductive age, with a peak between the ages of 25 and 35 years.
Methods: For this review, medical sciences electronic databases like PubMed and Google Scholar were searched for studies published between February 2020 and July 2024. The main keywords were "Endometriosis," CircRNAs "," Biomarker "," and "Diagnosis." Thirty-four quantitative and qualitative studies were included.
Results: Laparoscopy, as the gold standard for diagnosing this disease, may not be effective for all women suspected of endometriosis, and may result in high costs and many side effects for the patient. Also, ultrasound, as a cost-effective, non-invasive diagnostic tool, is significantly dependent on the skill and expertise of the operator. In addition, other non-invasive methods do not have high accuracy and efficiency. Therefore, to diagnose endometriosis early, there is an urgent need to develop other non-invasive diagnostic methods with high sensitivity and specificity, including the use of biomarkers. Some characteristics of circRNAs have made them suitable and practical options as diagnostic biomarkers in this disease. This type of noncoding RNAs cannot be easily degraded by exonucleases, and due to their high copy number and stable structure, they have been widely identified in eukaryotic cells, and they can be found in blood and various body fluids such as saliva, urine, and vaginal fluid.
Conclusion: In this review, we summarize the biogenesis, pathogenesis, and biomarker role of circRNAs in endometriosis and also discuss their potential as diagnostic biomarkers with therapeutic targets. Entering a new level in epigenetic regulatory networks is facilitated by circRNA research. Future research can help researchers better understand the regulatory mechanisms of circRNA in the endometrium.