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Lv MQ, Yang YQ, Li YX, Zhou L, Ge P, Sun RF, Zhang J, Gao JC, Qu LQ, Jing QY, Li PC, Yan YJ, Wang HX, Li HC, Zhou DX. A detection model of testis-derived circular RNAs in serum for predicting testicular sperm retrieval rate in non-obstructive azoospermia patients. Andrology 2024. [PMID: 38421140 DOI: 10.1111/andr.13617] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2023] [Revised: 01/18/2024] [Accepted: 02/12/2024] [Indexed: 03/02/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Microdissection testicular sperm extraction is an effective method to retrieve sperm from non-obstructive azoospermia patients. However, its successful rate is less than 50%. OBJECTIVES To identify the predictive value of circular RNAs in serum for sperm retrieval rate in non-obstructive azoospermia patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS 180 non-obstructive azoospermia patients were recruited in this study, including 84 individuals with successful sperm retrieval and 96 individuals with failed sperm retrieval. Our study contained two phases. First, 20 patients, selected from the 180 patients, were included in screening cohort. In this cohort, the top 20 circular RNAs from our previous testicular circRNA profiles were verified between successful and failed sperm retrieval groups using real-time polymerase chain reaction. Six circular RNAs with the most significantly different expressions were selected for further verification. Second, the 180 patients were included as discovery cohort to verify the six circular RNAs. Circular RNAs were extracted from serum in each participant. Logistic regression analysis was further performed to identify the predictive value and the area under the curve analysis was used to evaluate diagnostic efficiency, sensitivity, and specificity. RESULTS Six circular RNAs including hsa_circ_0058058, hsa_circ_0008045, hsa_circ_0084789, hsa_circ_0000550, hsa_circ_0007422, and hsa_circ_0004099 showed aberrant expressions between the successful and failed sperm retrieval group. In addition, both single-circular RNA panels and multi-circular RNA panels were finally verified to be significant in predicting sperm retrieval rate. Notably, multi-circular RNAs panels demonstrated better predictive abilities compared with single-circRNA panels, and the combined panel of six-circular RNAs (risk score = 1.094×hsa_circ_0058058+0.697×hsa_circ_0008045+0.718×hsa_circ_0084789-0.591×hsa_circ_0000550-0.435×hsa_circ_0007422-1.017×hsa_circ_0004099-1.561) exhibited the best predictive ability in the present study with an AUC of 0.977, a sensitivity of 91.7% and a specificity of 86.5%. A higher risk score indicated a higher risk of failure in sperm retrieval. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION Our study was the first to report that testis-derived circular RNAs in serum have the ability to predict sperm retrieval rate in non-obstructive azoospermia patients, whether it is a single-circular RNA or a combination of multi-circular RNAs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mo-Qi Lv
- Department of Pathology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Xi'an Jiaotong University Health Science Center, Xi'an, China
- Institute of Genetics and Development, Translational Medicine Institute, Xi'an Jiaotong University Health Science Center, Xi'an, China
- Key Laboratory of Environment and Genes Related to Diseases, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Ministry of Education, Xi'an, China
| | - Yan-Qi Yang
- Department of Pathology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Xi'an Jiaotong University Health Science Center, Xi'an, China
- Institute of Genetics and Development, Translational Medicine Institute, Xi'an Jiaotong University Health Science Center, Xi'an, China
- Key Laboratory of Environment and Genes Related to Diseases, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Ministry of Education, Xi'an, China
| | - Yi-Xin Li
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Maternal Fetal Medicine, Shanghai Institute of Maternal-Fetal Medicine and Gynecologic Oncology, Shanghai First Maternity and Infant Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai, China
| | - Liang Zhou
- Assisted Reproduction Center, Northwest Women's and Children's Hospital, Xi'an, China
- Health Science Center, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China
| | - Pan Ge
- Department of Pathology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Xi'an Jiaotong University Health Science Center, Xi'an, China
- Institute of Genetics and Development, Translational Medicine Institute, Xi'an Jiaotong University Health Science Center, Xi'an, China
- Key Laboratory of Environment and Genes Related to Diseases, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Ministry of Education, Xi'an, China
| | - Rui-Fang Sun
- Department of Pathology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Xi'an Jiaotong University Health Science Center, Xi'an, China
- Institute of Genetics and Development, Translational Medicine Institute, Xi'an Jiaotong University Health Science Center, Xi'an, China
- Key Laboratory of Environment and Genes Related to Diseases, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Ministry of Education, Xi'an, China
| | - Jian Zhang
- Department of Pathology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Xi'an Jiaotong University Health Science Center, Xi'an, China
- Institute of Genetics and Development, Translational Medicine Institute, Xi'an Jiaotong University Health Science Center, Xi'an, China
- Key Laboratory of Environment and Genes Related to Diseases, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Ministry of Education, Xi'an, China
| | - Jun-Cheng Gao
- School of Humanities and Social Development, Northwest A&F University, Xianyang, China
| | - Liu-Qing Qu
- Health Science Center, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China
| | - Qi-Ya Jing
- Health Science Center, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China
| | - Pin-Cheng Li
- Health Science Center, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China
| | - Yu-Jia Yan
- Health Science Center, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China
| | - Hai-Xu Wang
- Assisted Reproduction Center, Xijing Hospital of Air Force Medical University (the former the Fourth Military Medical University), Xi'an, China
| | - He-Cheng Li
- Department of Urology, Second Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China
| | - Dang-Xia Zhou
- Department of Pathology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Xi'an Jiaotong University Health Science Center, Xi'an, China
- Institute of Genetics and Development, Translational Medicine Institute, Xi'an Jiaotong University Health Science Center, Xi'an, China
- Key Laboratory of Environment and Genes Related to Diseases, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Ministry of Education, Xi'an, China
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Cito G, Coccia ME, Salvianti F, Fucci R, Picone R, Giachini C, Cocci A, Falcone P, Micelli E, Verrienti P, Minervini A, Carini M, Pinzani P, Natali A. Blood plasma miR-20a-5p expression as a potential non-invasive diagnostic biomarker of male infertility: A pilot study. Andrology 2020; 8:1256-1264. [PMID: 32406197 DOI: 10.1111/andr.12816] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2020] [Revised: 04/29/2020] [Accepted: 05/06/2020] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Recently, alterations in miRNAs expression profile in semen have been linked to damaged spermatogenesis, suggesting miRNAs could be used as potential infertility biomarkers. In previous animal studies, miR-20a-5p was found to be down-expressed in low motile spermatozoa, implying its potential target of genes associated with cell apoptosis. OBJECTIVE To investigate miR-20a-5p expression in blood plasma of patients suffering from non-obstructive azoospermia (NOA), compared to normozoospermic controls. MATERIALS AND METHODS Between January 2018 and December 2019, from 52 infertile couples eligible for the study, 24 couples were finally enrolled in this monocentric observational prospective pilot study. Patients were included into two groups: Group 1 comprised men with NOA (n = 14) and Group 2 fertile men partners of women with female tubal factor infertility (n = 10). All NOA patients underwent testicular sperm extraction. The expression of circulating miR-20a-5p in plasma samples was assessed by RT-qPCR. A relative quantification strategy was adopted using the 2-ΔCq method to calculate the target miR-20a-5p expression with respect to miR-16-5p as endogenous control. RESULTS Median blood plasma miR-20a-5p was significantly higher in patients affected by NOA (0.16 2-ΔCt , range: 0.05-0.79 2-ΔCt ) than in fertile controls (0.06 2-ΔCt , range: 0.04-0.10 2-ΔCt ), P < .001. MiR-20a-5p was positively correlated with follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) (rrho = -0.490, P = .015) and luteinizing hormone (LH) (rrho = -0.462, P = .023), and negatively correlated with serum total testosterone (TT) (rrho = -0.534, P = .007) and right and left testicular size (rrho = -0.473, P = .020 and rrho = -0.471, P = .020, respectively). Successful sperm retrieval (SR) rate was 50.0%. Median value of miR-20a-5p did not differ significantly among patients with successful SR and those with negative SR. Testicular histological examination showed: hypospermatogenesis in 6/14 (42.8%), maturation arrest in 4/14 (28.6%), sertoli cell-only syndrome in 4/14 (28.6%). No significant differences in miR-20a-5p were found between histopathological patterns (P > .05). CONCLUSIONS MiR-20a-5p could represent a novel non-invasive diagnostic biomarker of male infertility.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gianmartin Cito
- Department of Urology, Careggi Hospital, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
| | - Maria Elisabetta Coccia
- Assisted Reproductive Technology Centre, Careggi Hospital, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
| | - Francesca Salvianti
- Clinical Biochemistry and Clinical Molecular Biology Unit, Department of Experimental and Clinical Biomedical Sciences "Mario Serio", University of Florence, Florence, Italy
| | - Rossella Fucci
- Assisted Reproductive Technology Centre, Careggi Hospital, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
| | - Rita Picone
- Assisted Reproductive Technology Centre, Careggi Hospital, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
| | - Claudia Giachini
- Assisted Reproductive Technology Centre, Careggi Hospital, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
| | - Andrea Cocci
- Department of Urology, Careggi Hospital, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
| | - Patrizia Falcone
- Assisted Reproductive Technology Centre, Careggi Hospital, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
| | - Elisabetta Micelli
- Assisted Reproductive Technology Centre, Careggi Hospital, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
| | - Pierangelo Verrienti
- Department of Urology, Careggi Hospital, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
| | - Andrea Minervini
- Department of Urology, Careggi Hospital, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
| | - Marco Carini
- Department of Urology, Careggi Hospital, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
| | - Pamela Pinzani
- Clinical Biochemistry and Clinical Molecular Biology Unit, Department of Experimental and Clinical Biomedical Sciences "Mario Serio", University of Florence, Florence, Italy
| | - Alessandro Natali
- Department of Urology, Careggi Hospital, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
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Cito G, Becatti M, Natali A, Fucci R, Picone R, Cocci A, Falcone P, Criscuoli L, Mannucci A, Argento FR, Bertocci F, Serni S, Carini M, Fiorillo C, Coccia ME. Redox status assessment in infertile patients with non-obstructive azoospermia undergoing testicular sperm extraction: A prospective study. Andrology 2019; 8:364-371. [PMID: 31654557 DOI: 10.1111/andr.12721] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2019] [Revised: 10/06/2019] [Accepted: 10/24/2019] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Oxidative stress (OS) is one of the most prevalent causes of sperm damage, through the toxic effects of endogenously generated hydrogen peroxide, superoxide anion, and hydroxyl radicals. Peripheral leukocytes represent a feasible model for studying the pathophysiology of OS-mediated homeostasis, which can be responsible for cell dysfunction and cell injury. OBJECTIVE To evaluate the redox status in patients with non-obstructive azoospermia (NOA), establishing the potential role exerted by reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the genesis of testicular secretory injury. MATERIAL AND METHODS From May 2018 to March 2019, 39 patients were enrolled in this prospective single-center cohort study and divided into two groups. Group 1 included 19 patients with NOA, and Group 2 included 20 normozoospermic men, partners of women with infertility tubal factor. All patients underwent serum blood tests. NOA underwent testicular sperm extraction (TeSE). ROS production (in lymphocytes, monocytes, and granulocytes) was assessed by fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS) analysis. Plasma oxidative stress was evaluated by lipid peroxidation markers (MDA) and total antioxidant capacity (TAC) both assessed by fluorometric techniques. RESULTS Mean lymphocyte ROS production resulted 967.0 ± 224.5 vs 728.0 ± 98.0 (NOA vs Controls, P < .001), monocyte ROS resulted 2102.5 ± 517.5 vs 1253 ± 171 (P < .001), and granulocyte ROS were 2366.5 ± 595.4 vs 1751.0 ± 213.0 (P < .001). Significant increases plasma lipid peroxidation markers were found in NOA patients compared with controls (2.7 ± 0.8 vs 0.37 ± 0.2 nmol/mL, P < .001). Significant decreased TAC was evident in NOA compared with controls (13.4 ± 3.9 vs 3.0 ± 0.2 µmol/mL Trolox equivalents, P < .001). No significant differences were found in blood leukocyte subpopulations ROS production, plasma lipid peroxidation, and TAC comparing groups (positive vs negative sperm retrieval, P > .05). CONCLUSION ROS production can be directly related to disorders of spermatogenesis, leading to severe conditions of male infertility, including azoospermia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gianmartin Cito
- Department of Urology, Careggi Hospital, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
| | - Matteo Becatti
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Biomedical Sciences "Mario Serio", University of Florence, Florence, Italy
| | - Alessandro Natali
- Department of Urology, Careggi Hospital, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
| | - Rossella Fucci
- Assisted Reproductive Technology Centre, Careggi Hospital, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
| | - Rita Picone
- Assisted Reproductive Technology Centre, Careggi Hospital, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
| | - Andrea Cocci
- Department of Urology, Careggi Hospital, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
| | - Patrizia Falcone
- Assisted Reproductive Technology Centre, Careggi Hospital, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
| | - Luciana Criscuoli
- Assisted Reproductive Technology Centre, Careggi Hospital, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
| | - Amanda Mannucci
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Biomedical Sciences "Mario Serio", University of Florence, Florence, Italy
| | - Flavia R Argento
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Biomedical Sciences "Mario Serio", University of Florence, Florence, Italy
| | - Francesco Bertocci
- Assisted Reproductive Technology Centre, Careggi Hospital, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
| | - Sergio Serni
- Department of Urology, Careggi Hospital, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
| | - Marco Carini
- Department of Urology, Careggi Hospital, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
| | - Claudia Fiorillo
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Biomedical Sciences "Mario Serio", University of Florence, Florence, Italy
| | - Maria E Coccia
- Assisted Reproductive Technology Centre, Careggi Hospital, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
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