ArticleCureus2022
Study on the Effect of Berberine, Myoinositol, and Metformin in Women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome: A Prospective Randomised Study.
Article in Cureus, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 12 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
12 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 14 citations in OpenAlex.
- Questionable Evidence for Berberine in Polyendocrine Metabolic Ovarian Syndrome: An Integrity-Based Reappraisal.Advances in therapy · 2026Pooled it
- The effect of berberine on obesity indices: a systematic review and meta-analysis.International journal of obesity (2005) · 2026Pooled it
- The effects of berberine supplementation on cardiovascular risk factors in adults: A systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis.Frontiers in nutrition · 2022Pooled it
- Redox biology in PCOS: Biomarkers, mechanistic networks, and targeted interventions (Review).International journal of molecular medicine · 2026Review
- Metabolic and Anti-Inflammatory Effects of Berberine-Rationale for Its Therapeutic Potential in Polycystic Ovary Syndrome.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Review
- Inositol and Berberine Synergistically Reprogram Endocrine and Ovarian Metabolism in Polycystic Ovary Syndrome.Cell proliferation · 2026Article
- Evaluating the association between lipidome and female reproductive diseases through comprehensive Mendelian randomization analyses.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Gut microbiota dysbiosis in polycystic ovary syndrome: focus on diet, probiotics, and traditional Chinese medicine.Frontiers in microbiology · 2025Review
- Berberine promotes primordial follicle activation and increases ovulated oocyte quantity in aged mice.Molecular medicine (Cambridge, Mass.) · 2024Article
- The Effects of Plant-Derived Phytochemical Compounds and Phytochemical-Rich Diets on Females with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome: A Scoping Review of Clinical Trials.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2023Article
- Review
- Effect of Berberine Phytosome on reproductive, dermatologic, and metabolic characteristics in women with polycystic ovary syndrome: a controlled, randomized, multi-centric, open-label clinical trial.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2023Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectiveThis study was conducted to see the effects of berberine, metformin, and myoinositol in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). MATERIALS AND
methodsSubjects were randomly assigned via computer-generated randomization to one of the three treatment groups. Group 1 received berberine hydrochloride 500 mg twice daily, group 2 received metformin hydrochloride 500 mg twice daily, and group 3 received myoinositol 1000 mg twice daily to compare clinically (mean weight, waist circumference, waist-to-hip ratio, and body mass index), metabolic (fasting blood sugar, serum fasting insulin, fasting blood sugar/serum fasting insulin [FBS/FI]), hormonal effects (serum total testosterone [TT], serum sex hormone-binding globulin [SHBG] and free androgen index) together with the lipid profile (total cholesterol, serum triglyceride, serum low-density lipoprotein [LDL], very-low-density lipoprotein [VLDL], serum high-density lipoprotein [HDL]) in patients receiving metformin, berberine, and myoinositol before and after three months of treatment.
resultsWeight, BMI, waist circumference, waist-hip ratio, FBS, FI and fasting glucose/insulin ratio, total testosterone, free androgen index (FAI), SHBG, total cholesterol, triglycerides, LDL, VLDL, and HDL showed significant differences in three groups after three months of treatment (p<0.0001). Between the three groups, berberine showed greater differences in clinical, hormonal, and lipid parameters compared to metformin and myoinositol, while myoinositol showed greater improvement in carbohydrate metabolic parameters.
conclusionsMetformin, the classical drug used in PCOS, improves all the parameters in polycystic ovary syndrome women. Berberine may have greater potential to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease than metformin in PCOS patients due to its effect on body composition, lipid profile, and improvement in hormone status. Myoinositol administration improves endocrine parameters and insulin sensitivity. It may be considered as a first-line option in PCOS patients with insulin resistance without prediabetes or diabetes.
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.