Role of Seminal microRNAs Detected by Quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction (qPCR) in Male Infertility: A Systematic...

Male infertility is one of the major causes of conception issues globally. Traditionally, semen analysis serves as the primary diagnostic tool for evaluating male infertility, but it does not provide insights into underlying causes. In recent years, the non-coding short microRNAs (miRNAs) have gained attention because of their stability and regulatory role in sperm development, suggesting strong potential as biomarkers for infertility evaluation. This systematic review seeks to examine the role of seminal miRNAs, quantified through quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR), in relation to male infertility outcomes. Following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, a literature search was conducted across PMC PubMed, Wiley Online Library, ScienceDirect, and Google Scholar for studies published between 2010 and 2025. Articles reporting miRNA expression in spermatozoa and seminal plasma of infertile men using qPCR were included. A total of 28 articles were included, assessing 1,699 infertile men, of whom 1,239 men were categorized by abnormalities such as oligozoospermia, asthenozoospermia, teratozoospermia, oligoasthenozoospermia, asthenoteratozoospermia, oligoasthenoteratozoospermia, and azoospermia. A differential expression pattern of miRNAs was observed in male infertility. Such an expression pattern was positively or negatively correlated with genes and gene products involved in sperm development, production, and maturation, influencing sperm characteristics. Distinct miRNAs are associated with specific male infertility types, supporting their potential role as diagnostic biomarkers for clinical use.