Department of Surgery, Division of Urology, Human Reproduction Section, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.
Expert Rev Proteomics. 2021 Nov;18(11):939-948. doi: 10.1080/14789450.2021.2010548. Epub 2021 Dec 16.
Azoospermia, absence of sperm in the ejaculate is classified as obstructive (OA) and non-obstructive azoospermia (NOA). In OA, sperm are produced, but due to physical obstruction in the male reproductive tract, they are not released in the ejaculate. NOA, on the other hand, is defined as the absence of sperm in the ejaculate due to testicular dysfunction. In NOA, spermatogenesis is frequently preserved in specific sites, and proteomics studies have been employed in order to identify men with preserved spermatogenesis.
Differential protein expression in patients with male infertility is an indicator of impaired spermatogenesis. Here, we reviewed proteins with a potential role as biomarkers of spermatogenesis that could help in the management of non-obstructive and obstructive azoospermia. The following keywords were used for bibliographic research: seminal plasma, proteomics, male infertility, nonobstructive, obstructive, azoospermia, oligospermia.
Biopsy is an invasive and potentially harmful technique for detecting spermatogenesis in men with OA and NOA. Seminal plasma proteins are highly promising as biomarkers for spermatogenesis. Current literature presents a number of potential candidate biomarkers for determining preserved spermatogenesis.
无精子症是指精液中缺乏精子，可分为梗阻性（OA）和非梗阻性无精子症（NOA）。在 OA 中，精子虽然可以产生，但由于男性生殖道的物理阻塞，它们无法在精液中释放。另一方面，NOA 是指由于睾丸功能障碍导致精液中没有精子。在 NOA 中，精子发生通常在特定部位得到保留，并且已经进行了蛋白质组学研究以鉴定具有保留精子发生的男性。
男性不育症患者的差异蛋白表达是精子发生受损的指标。在这里，我们综述了具有作为精子发生生物标志物潜力的蛋白质，这些标志物可能有助于非梗阻性和梗阻性无精子症的管理。使用了以下关键词进行文献研究：精液、蛋白质组学、男性不育、非梗阻性、梗阻性、无精子症、少精子症。
活检是一种侵入性和潜在有害的技术，用于检测 OA 和 NOA 男性的精子发生。精液蛋白作为精子发生的生物标志物具有很大的前景。目前的文献提出了一些潜在的候选生物标志物，用于确定保留的精子发生。
