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Zhang J, Campion S, Catlin N, Reagan WJ, Palyada K, Ramaiah SK, Ramanathan R. Circulating microRNAs as promising testicular translatable safety biomarkers: current state and future perspectives. Arch Toxicol 2023; 97:947-961. [PMID: 36795116 PMCID: PMC9933818 DOI: 10.1007/s00204-023-03460-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2022] [Accepted: 02/07/2023] [Indexed: 02/17/2023]
Abstract
Drug-induced testicular injury (DITI) is one of the often-observed and challenging safety issues seen during drug development. Semen analysis and circulating hormones currently utilized have significant gaps in their ability to detect testicular damage accurately. In addition, no biomarkers enable a mechanistic understanding of the damage to the different regions of the testis, such as seminiferous tubules, Sertoli, and Leydig cells. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of non-coding RNAs that modulate gene expression post-transcriptionally and have been indicated to regulate a wide range of biological pathways. Circulating miRNAs can be measured in the body fluids due to tissue-specific cell injury/damage or toxicant exposure. Therefore, these circulating miRNAs have become attractive and promising non-invasive biomarkers for assessing drug-induced testicular injury, with several reports on their use as safety biomarkers for monitoring testicular damage in preclinical species. Leveraging emerging tools such as 'organs-on-chips' that can emulate the human organ's physiological environment and function is starting to enable biomarker discovery, validation, and clinical translation for regulatory qualification and implementation in drug development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiangwei Zhang
- Drug Safety Research & Development, Pfizer Worldwide Research, Development & Medical, 10777 Science Center Dr, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Sarah Campion
- Drug Safety Research & Development, Pfizer Worldwide Research, Development & Medical, 445 Eastern Point Rd., Groton, CT, USA
| | - Natasha Catlin
- Drug Safety Research & Development, Pfizer Worldwide Research, Development & Medical, 445 Eastern Point Rd., Groton, CT, USA
| | - William J Reagan
- Drug Safety Research & Development, Pfizer Worldwide Research, Development & Medical, 445 Eastern Point Rd., Groton, CT, USA
| | - Kiran Palyada
- Drug Safety Research & Development, Pfizer Worldwide Research, Development & Medical, 10777 Science Center Dr, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Shashi K Ramaiah
- Drug Safety Research & Development, Pfizer Worldwide Research, Development & Medical, 1 Portland St., Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA
| | - Ragu Ramanathan
- Drug Safety Research & Development, Pfizer Worldwide Research, Development & Medical, 445 Eastern Point Rd., Groton, CT, USA.
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Asadpour R, Mofidi Chelan E. Using microRNAs as molecular biomarkers for the evaluation of male infertility. Andrologia 2021; 54:e14298. [PMID: 34738652 DOI: 10.1111/and.14298] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2021] [Revised: 09/25/2021] [Accepted: 10/23/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Infertility is a multiplex disorder in the reproductive system, and men are responsible for more than half of the cases. Nowadays, semen analysis has been considered the critical assessment test to diagnose infertile men; however, it has limitations so that the cause behind infertility in 40% of infertile men is unrevealed. Weaknesses of semen assessment indicate a global need for novel and better diagnostic tools and biomarkers. MicroRNAs are short (about 18-22 nucleotide length) non-coding RNAs that control most (>60%) of our protein-coding genes post-transcriptionally. These molecules are aberrant in the body fluids, and abnormal alterations in their expression level can signify a specific disease such as infertility. Therefore, microRNAs can be novel candidate biomarkers that can diagnose different types of male infertility, including azoospermia, oligozoospermia, asthenozoospermia and teratozoospermia. This narrative review aimed to collect and sum up new papers published about the significant role of microRNAs in different male infertility categories.
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Affiliation(s)
- Reza Asadpour
- Department of Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Tabriz, Tabriz, Iran
| | - Ehsan Mofidi Chelan
- Department of Animal Biology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Tabriz, Tabriz, Iran
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Ma J, Han R, Sun B, Lin J, Deng P, Wang S, Sun S. Differentially expressed microRNA in testicular tissues of hyperuricaemia rats. Andrologia 2021; 53:e14184. [PMID: 34255383 DOI: 10.1111/and.14184] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2021] [Revised: 06/08/2021] [Accepted: 06/11/2021] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
This study is to identify the differentially expressed miRNAs in testicular tissues of rats with hyperuricaemia-induced male infertility. We found that the hyperuricaemia model group had significantly increased serum uric acid, while significantly decreased sperm concentration and motile sperm percentage than normal group (p < .05). A total of 39 differentially expressed miRNAs were identified in the testicular tissues of hyperuricaemia rats compared with the control rats, ten of which were validated by real-time PCR. The target mRNAs of 7 differentially expressed miRNAs (miR-10b-5p, miR-26a-5p, miR-136-5p, miR-151-3p, miR-183-5p, miR-362-3p and miR-509-5p) from 3'-untranslated region binding perspective were enriched in signalling pathways of Wnt, Jak-STAT, mTOR and MAPK. The target mRNAs of 6 differentially expressed miRNAs (miR-136-5p, miR-144-3p, miR-99a-5p, miR-509-5p, miR-451-5p and miR-362-3p) from coding sequence binding perspective were enriched in signalling pathways of Calcium, Notch and MAPK. The functions of miRNAs in testicular tissues of rats with hyperuricaemia were revealed by the differentially expressed miRNAs (miR-183-5p, miR-99a-5p, miR-10b-5p, miR-151-3p, miR-26a-5p, miR-451-5p, miR-362-3p, miR-136-5p, miR-144-3p and miR-509-5p)-mRNAs interaction network. The differentially expressed miRNAs in the testicular tissues of hyperuricaemia rats might shed light on the mechanism of hyperuricaemia-induced male infertility.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jing Ma
- NHC Key Laboratory of Family Planning and Healthy, Hebei Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine, Hebei Research Institute for Family Planning Science and Technology, Shijiazhuang, China
| | - Ruiyu Han
- NHC Key Laboratory of Family Planning and Healthy, Hebei Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine, Hebei Research Institute for Family Planning Science and Technology, Shijiazhuang, China
| | - Bo Sun
- NHC Key Laboratory of Family Planning and Healthy, Hebei Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine, Hebei Research Institute for Family Planning Science and Technology, Shijiazhuang, China.,Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Key Laboratory of Medical Biotechnology of Hebei Province, Cardiovascular Medical Science Center, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, China
| | - Jiajie Lin
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Key Laboratory of Medical Biotechnology of Hebei Province, Cardiovascular Medical Science Center, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, China
| | - Peipei Deng
- NHC Key Laboratory of Family Planning and Healthy, Hebei Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine, Hebei Research Institute for Family Planning Science and Technology, Shijiazhuang, China
| | - Shusong Wang
- NHC Key Laboratory of Family Planning and Healthy, Hebei Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine, Hebei Research Institute for Family Planning Science and Technology, Shijiazhuang, China.,Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Key Laboratory of Medical Biotechnology of Hebei Province, Cardiovascular Medical Science Center, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, China
| | - Shaoguang Sun
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Key Laboratory of Medical Biotechnology of Hebei Province, Cardiovascular Medical Science Center, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, China
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Yusoff NA, Taib IS, Budin SB, Mohamed M. Paternal Fenitrothion Exposures in Rats Causes Sperm DNA Fragmentation in F0 and Histomorphometric Changes in Selected Organs of F1 Generation. TOXICS 2021; 9:toxics9070159. [PMID: 34357902 PMCID: PMC8309826 DOI: 10.3390/toxics9070159] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2021] [Revised: 06/27/2021] [Accepted: 07/03/2021] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
The adverse effects of maternal pesticides exposure on the progeny is very well established. However, the impact of paternal exposure to pesticides such as Fenitrothion (FNT) on the histomorphometry of progeny’s organs in unexposed mothers are much less well studied. Therefore, this study aims to evaluate the effects of paternal FNT exposure on the sperm quality of the parent rat and its effects on the histomorphometry of the progeny’s organs. Randomly, male Sprague Dawley rats (n = 24) categorized as F0 were distributed equally into three groups namely Control, FNT-10, and FNT-20. Control received 1 mL/kg corn oil while FNT-10 and FNT-20 received 10 mg/kg and 20 mg/kg of FNT, respectively, via oral force feeding for 28 consecutive days. At the end of the study, male rats were mated with unexposed female rats and the male rats were sacrificed to obtain sperm for sperm characterization and DNA damage evaluation. Meanwhile, the rats’ progeny (F1) namely pControl, pFNT-10, and pFNT-20 were left to grow until postnatal day 70 before being sacrificed to obtain the matured organs for histology and morphometric analysis. Our results showed that both doses of FNT reduced sperm quality and caused DNA fragmentation in F0 rats compared with the control group (p < 0.05). The number of Leydig cells as well as the diameter of the seminiferous tubules and glomerulus of the pFNT-20 group had significantly decreased (p < 0.05) compared with the pControl group. The Bowman’s space of the pFNT-20 group had significantly increased (p < 0.05) compared with the pFNT-10 and pControl groups. Therefore, paternal exposure to FNT reduced the sperm quality and increased sperm DNA fragmentation in F0 male Sprague Dawley rats and altered the histology and morphometry of the selected organs in the F1 progeny.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nur Afizah Yusoff
- Biomedical Science Programme, Centre of Diagnostic, Therapeutic and Investigative Studies, Faculty of Health Sciences, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Jalan Raja Muda Abdul Aziz, Kuala Lumpur 50300, Malaysia; (N.A.Y.); (S.B.B.)
| | - Izatus Shima Taib
- Biomedical Science Programme, Centre of Diagnostic, Therapeutic and Investigative Studies, Faculty of Health Sciences, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Jalan Raja Muda Abdul Aziz, Kuala Lumpur 50300, Malaysia; (N.A.Y.); (S.B.B.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +60-392-897-608
| | - Siti Balkis Budin
- Biomedical Science Programme, Centre of Diagnostic, Therapeutic and Investigative Studies, Faculty of Health Sciences, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Jalan Raja Muda Abdul Aziz, Kuala Lumpur 50300, Malaysia; (N.A.Y.); (S.B.B.)
| | - Mahaneem Mohamed
- Department of Physiology, School of Medical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Kubang Kerian 16150, Malaysia;
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Clinical Evaluation of a Custom Gene Panel as a Tool for Precision Male Infertility Diagnosis by Next-Generation Sequencing. Life (Basel) 2020; 10:life10100242. [PMID: 33076341 PMCID: PMC7602585 DOI: 10.3390/life10100242] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2020] [Revised: 10/09/2020] [Accepted: 10/12/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Up to 15% of couples are infertile and male factor infertility accounts for approximately 50% of these cases. Male infertility is a multifactorial pathological condition. The genetic of male infertility is very complex and at least 2000 genes are involved in its etiology. Genetic testing by next-generation sequencing (NGS) technologies can be relevant for its diagnostic value in male infertile patients. Therefore, the aim of this study was to implement the diagnostic offer with the use of an NGS panel for the identification of genetic variants. METHODS We developed an NGS gene panel that we used in 22 male infertile patients. The panel consisted of 110 genes exploring the genetic causes of male infertility; namely spermatogenesis failure due to single-gene mutations, central hypogonadism, androgen insensitivity syndrome, congenital hypopituitarism, and primary ciliary dyskinesia. RESULTS NGS and a subsequent sequencing of the positive pathogenic or likely pathogenic variants, 5 patients (23%) were found to have a molecular defect. In particular, pathogenic variants were identified in TEX11, CCDC39, CHD7, and NR5A1 genes. Moreover, 14 variants of unknown significance and 7 novel variants were found that require further functional studies and family segregation. CONCLUSION This extended NGS-based diagnostic approach may represent a useful tool for the diagnosis of male infertility. The development of a custom-made gene panel by NGS seems capable of reducing the proportion of male idiopathic infertility.
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Histological Analysis, Bioinformatics Profile, and Expression of Methylenetetrahydrofolate Reductase (MTHFR) in Bovine Testes. Animals (Basel) 2020; 10:ani10101731. [PMID: 32977696 PMCID: PMC7598625 DOI: 10.3390/ani10101731] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2020] [Revised: 08/29/2020] [Accepted: 09/17/2020] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary To date, several genes have been sequenced but their corresponding protein characteristics remain unknown. This study highlights the histological structure of bovine (yellow-cattle and yak) testes as a build-up to exploring the bioinformatics profile and expression characteristics of methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) in bovine testes. Our findings suggest that yellow-cattle testis have similar anatomical characteristics with that of yak, except for the weight or size, for which that of yellow-cattle is significantly higher or greater than yak. We also found that the secondary and 3D protein structures of MTHFR were similar to that of humans, with differences in the number of nucleotides, amino acids, and some physico-chemical characteristics. Moreover, MTHFR mRNA expression was higher in adult yellow-cattle and yak compared to their juvenile ones, however, its protein expression was higher but not statistically significant in adult yellow-cattle and yak compared to the juvenile ones. This provides a basis for further investigations into the regulatory function of MTHFR in bovine testes. Abstract Methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR), an enzyme expressed in mammalian testes, exerts a direct effect on spermatogenesis; however, its protein characteristics in bovine testes remain unknown. Here, we analysed bovine testicular structure, MTHFR bioinformatics profile, mRNA, and protein expression characteristics in yellow-cattle (y-c) and yak testis using histological procedures, bioinformatics analysis, qRT-PCR, and western blot. Testes from 13 bovines, ≤2 years juvenile (y-c, n = 3; yak, n = 3) and ≥3 years adult (y-c, n = 3; yak, n = 4) were collected and analysed. Anatomical characteristics of testis in y-c and yak were similar except the weight or size for which that of y-c was significantly higher or greater than yak. In y-c, an open reading frame (ORF) for 2600 nucleotides sequence, encoding 655 amino acids showed high homology with zebu cattle (99.51%) and wild yak (98.68%). Secondary and 3D protein structures were similar to that of humans with differences in the number of nucleotides, amino acids, and some physico-chemical characteristics. MTHFR mRNA expression in y-c and yak were significantly higher in adult testes compared with juvenile ones. However, its protein expression was higher, but not statistically significant, in adult y-c and yak compared to the juvenile ones. The highlights and inferences of these and other findings are discussed.
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