Laboratory of Genetics, Comparative and Evolutionary Biology, Department of Biochemistry and Biotechnology, University of Thessaly, Viopolis Mezourlo, 41500 Larissa, Greece.
Biomolecules. 2023 Jun 27;13(7):1046. doi: 10.3390/biom13071046.
Male infertility is a global health problem that is on the rise. Today, many noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs) are associated with male infertility. Circular RNAs (circRNAs) have recently drawn attention, but a comprehensive understanding of the role of circRNAs in male infertility is limited. This systematic review investigates the differential expression of circRNAs in male infertility or circRNAs that could serve as candidate biomarkers. The PRISMA guidelines were used to search PubMed and Web of Science on 11 January 2023. Inclusion criteria were human participants, experimental studies aiming to associate circRNAs with male infertility reporting differentially expressed circRNAs, and the English language. A total of 156 articles were found, and after the screening and eligibility stages, 13 studies were included in the final sample. Many circRNAs are deregulated in male infertility, and their interactions with miRNAs play an important role in affecting cellular processes and pathways. CircRNAs could also be used as biomarkers to screen patients before sperm retrieval. However, most studies focus on the role of circRNAs in azoospermia, and there is a knowledge gap regarding other subtypes of male infertility. Future research is needed to explore the exact mechanism of action of circRNAs and investigate their use as biomarkers.
男性不育是一个全球性的健康问题，且呈上升趋势。如今，许多非编码 RNA（ncRNA）与男性不育有关。环状 RNA（circRNA）最近引起了关注，但对 circRNA 在男性不育中的作用的全面了解有限。本系统评价调查了 circRNA 在男性不育或可作为候选生物标志物的 circRNA 中的差异表达。使用 PRISMA 指南于 2023 年 1 月 11 日在 PubMed 和 Web of Science 上进行了搜索。纳入标准为人类参与者、旨在将 circRNA 与男性不育相关联并报告差异表达 circRNA 的实验研究以及英语语言。共发现 156 篇文章，经过筛选和资格审查阶段，最终有 13 项研究纳入最终样本。许多 circRNA 在男性不育中失调，它们与 miRNA 的相互作用在影响细胞过程和途径方面起着重要作用。circRNA 也可用于在精子提取前对患者进行筛查。然而，大多数研究都集中在 circRNA 在无精子症中的作用上，对于其他类型的男性不育症，知识上存在空白。需要进一步的研究来探索 circRNA 的确切作用机制，并研究其作为生物标志物的用途。
