Kyrgiafini Maria-Anna, Kaltsas Aris, Chatziparasidou Alexia, Mamuris Zissis
Laboratory of Genetics, Comparative and Evolutionary Biology, Department of Biochemistry and Biotechnology, University of Thessaly, Viopolis, Mezourlo, 41500 Larissa, Greece.
Third Department of Urology, Attikon University Hospital, School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 12462 Athens, Greece.
Int J Mol Sci. 2025 Apr 9;26(8):3537. doi: 10.3390/ijms26083537.
MicroRNAs (miRNAs), a class of small noncoding RNAs, play a crucial role in spermatogenesis. However, their specific expression patterns in azoospermic patients, particularly in relation to sperm presence and pregnancy outcomes, remain underexplored. We performed small RNA sequencing on forty testicular tissue samples from idiopathic azoospermic and cryptozoospermic patients who underwent testicular sperm extraction (TESE). Differentially expressed (DE) miRNAs were identified across groups with high, rare, or no spermatozoa presence, as well as between individuals with successful and unsuccessful pregnancies following assisted reproduction. Functional enrichment analyses were conducted to assess the biological relevance of miRNA alterations. Our findings revealed distinct miRNA expression patterns linked to sperm presence and pregnancy outcomes. Samples with high sperm presence exhibited reduced miRNA expression, while those with impaired spermatogenesis demonstrated upregulated miRNAs associated with cell survival and differentiation pathways. Several regulatory pathways were also disrupted in samples leading to unsuccessful pregnancies, including the estrogen signaling receptor (ESR) pathway, interleukin-4 and interleukin-13 signaling, and transcription networks. This study highlights miRNA-mediated regulatory differences in azoospermic patients, identifying potential biomarkers for sperm retrieval success and fertility outcomes. Future validation and multi-omics approaches are needed to confirm these findings and enhance male infertility diagnostics.
微小RNA(miRNA)是一类小的非编码RNA,在精子发生过程中起着至关重要的作用。然而,它们在无精子症患者中的具体表达模式,特别是与精子存在和妊娠结局的关系,仍未得到充分研究。我们对40例接受睾丸精子提取(TESE)的特发性无精子症和隐匿性精子症患者的睾丸组织样本进行了小RNA测序。在精子数量多、稀少或无精子的组间,以及辅助生殖后妊娠成功和失败的个体之间,鉴定出了差异表达(DE)的miRNA。进行了功能富集分析,以评估miRNA改变的生物学相关性。我们的研究结果揭示了与精子存在和妊娠结局相关的独特miRNA表达模式。精子数量多的样本miRNA表达降低,而精子发生受损的样本中与细胞存活和分化途径相关的miRNA上调。在导致妊娠失败的样本中,包括雌激素信号受体(ESR)途径、白细胞介素-4和白细胞介素-13信号以及转录网络在内的几种调节途径也被破坏。这项研究突出了无精子症患者中miRNA介导的调节差异,确定了精子获取成功和生育结局的潜在生物标志物。未来需要进行验证和多组学方法来证实这些发现,并加强男性不育症的诊断。