Circulating Transfer RNA Related Fragment Abundance After Experimental Endometriosis Induction in Baboons

Abstract Endometriosis is a chronic systemic disease affecting approximately 10–15% of women of reproductive age, often resulting in chronic pelvic pain and infertility. Despite its high prevalence, diagnosis is frequently delayed. Transfer RNA-derived fragments (tRFs) are an emerging class of small non-coding RNAs that have been implicated in gene regulation and various pathological processes but remain understudied in endometriosis. This study aimed to characterize temporal changes in circulating tRF abundance after experimentally induced endometriosis in a baboon model. Endometriosis was induced in eight female baboons, and peripheral blood samples were collected at five time points post-inoculation. RNA was extracted from serum samples and sequenced to profile tRF abundance. Differential expression analysis was performed. Significant changes in tRFs were observed as early as three months after induction. A ranking based on log fold change and adjusted p-values revealed the ten most significantly altered tRFs. These tRFs demonstrated consistent differential abundance throughout all time points. This is the first study to investigate circulating tRFs in endometriosis. Our longitudinal findings suggest that tRFs may serve as promising candidate biomarkers for endometriosis.