Bioengineered Isoflavone-Probiotic Functional Foods for Sustainable Modulation of Metabolic and Reproductive Health in PCOS

Abstract

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a prevalent metabolic-endocrine disorder characterized by insulin resistance, hyperandrogenism, chronic inflammation, oxidative stress, and ovarian dysfunction, with growing evidence implicating gut microbiota dysbiosis as a central pathogenic driver. Conventional pharmacological therapies predominantly target symptoms and often fail to restore long-term metabolic-reproductive homeostasis, highlighting the need for sustainable, multi-target nutritional interventions. This review critically examines bioengineered isoflavone-probiotic functional foods as an emerging precision nutrition strategy for PCOS management. Isoflavones exert endocrine and metabolic regulation through selective estrogen receptor β signaling, activation of AMPK and PI3K/Akt pathways, and suppression of oxidative-inflammatory cascades, while probiotics restore microbial diversity, reinforce intestinal barrier integrity, and enhance short-chain fatty acid-mediated insulin sensitization along the gut-ovarian axis. Microbial biotransformation of isoflavones into bioactive metabolites such as equol further amplifies endocrine and antioxidant efficacy, underscoring the functional interdependence between dietary bioactives and the gut microbiome. Advances in food bioengineering including controlled fermentation, encapsulation and targeted delivery systems, green extraction, synthetic biology-guided strain design, and computational optimization address key challenges related to bioavailability, stability, and interindividual variability. Integration of multi-omics profiling, metabolomic biomarkers, and sustainable bioprocessing frameworks enables phenotype-matched formulation and scalable production of functional foods with improved efficacy and environmental compatibility. Collectively, the evidence positions bioengineered isoflavone-probiotic systems as next-generation functional foods capable of modulating interconnected metabolic, microbial, and reproductive pathways, offering a scientifically grounded and sustainable approach for comprehensive PCOS management.

Keywords

green bioprocessing / gut-ovarian axis modulation / isoflavone-probiotic functional foods / metabolic-endocrine reprogramming / sustainable food bioengineering

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2026 The Author(s). Food Bioengineering published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd on behalf of State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology.