Altered microRNA expression profiles of human spermatozoa in patients with different spermatogenic impairments

To determine whether microRNAs are differentially expressed in men with normal versus impaired spermatogenesis, and to find a biomarker for accurate diagnosis of male infertility.

Microarray with real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) validation.

University research and clinical institutes.

Male partner of selected couples (n = 27) who were undergoing assisted reproduction techniques for infertility treatment.

None.

Statistically significantly altered microRNA expression profiles in normozoospermic versus asthenozoospermic and oligoasthenozoospermic men.

There were 50 miRNAs up-regulated and 27 miRNAs down-regulated in asthenozoospermic males. In oligoasthenozoospermic males, 42 miRNAs were up-regulated and 44 miRNAs down-regulated when compared with normozoospermic males. The miRNAs that exhibited the highest fold changes and area under the receiver operating characteristic curve were miR-34b, miR-122, and miR-1973 in samples from asthenozoospermic men and miR-34b, miR-34b*, miR-15b, miR-34c-5p, miR-122, miR-449a, miR-1973, miR-16, and miR-19a in samples from oligoasthenozoospermic men. Furthermore, quantitative RT-PCR assays on specific miRNAs, including miR-141, miR-200a, miR-122, miR-34b, miR-34c-5p, and miR-16, yielded results that were largely consistent with the microarray data.

Our results reveal an extended number of miRNAs that were differentially expressed in asthenozoospermic and oligoasthenozoospermic males compared with normozoospermic males. These data provide evidence for analysis of miRNA profiles as a future diagnosing tool for male infertility.