Coding and Non-Coding RNAs, as Male Fertility and Infertility Biomarkers

Document Type : Review Article

Authors

1 Men’s Health and Reproductive Health Research Center, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

2 Department of Cellular and Molecular Sciences, Faculty of Advanced Sciences and Technology, Tehran Medical Sciences, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran

3 Department of Medical Genetics, Faculty of Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

4 Department of Biology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Sabzevar Branch, Islamic Azad University, Sabzevar, Iran

5 Non-Communicable Disease Control Department, Public Health Department, Minis try of Health and Medical Education, Tehran, Iran

Abstract

Semen analysis is usually the first step in the assessment of male fertility. Although analyzes provide valuable information about male fertility, success of cytoplasmic sperm injection using this method is not predictable. In the recent years, studies have shown that sperm quality assessment helps clinicians predict male fertility status based on the expression of biomarkers. To write this article, a comprehensive study was conducted on several RNA transcripts by searching related words on medical information databases by 2018. According to the literature, spermatogenesis based disorders in male infertility have a significant relationship with the expression level of some RNA molecules (like DAZ and PRM1/PRM2 ratio) in semen and testicular tissue. Thus, they might be used as predictor biomarkersto evaluate success rate of testicular sperm extraction (TESE) procedure, but confirmation of this hypothesis requires more extensive research. By comparing the number of RNAs attributed to each fertility disorder in men, it is possible to trace the causes of disease or return fertility to some infertile patients by regulating the mentioned molecules. Further researches can provide a better understanding of the use of RNA expression profiles in the diagnosis and treatment of male infertility.

Keywords


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