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Protamine 1/Protamine 2 mRNA ratio in nonobstructive azoospermic patients
Author(s) -
Amjad Sofia,
Mushtaq Shamim,
Rehman Rehana,
Munir Adnan,
Zahid Nida,
Siddique Pirzada Qasim Raza
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
andrologia
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.633
H-Index - 59
eISSN - 1439-0272
pISSN - 0303-4569
DOI - 10.1111/and.13936
Subject(s) - azoospermia , protamine , andrology , testicular sperm extraction , obstructive azoospermia , spermatogenesis , biology , male infertility , biopsy , spermatid , sperm , medicine , infertility , pregnancy , heparin , biochemistry , genetics
Altered protamine 1 (PRM1)/ protamine 2 (PRM2) mRNA ratio in testicular biopsy samples correlates with sperm quality and its fertilising ability. This study is planned to assess PRM1/ PRM2 mRNA ratio in subgroups of azoospermia to suggest a more reliable and accurate marker for assessing sperm quality in nonobstructive azoospermia (NOA). A cross‐sectional study was done on testicular biopsy samples, taken from 106 azoospermic patients. Samples were histologically classified into subgroups: 36 obstructive azoospermia (OA), and two groups of NOA: 41 round spermatid maturation arrest (SMA) and 29 Sertoli cell‐only syndrome (SCOS). OA samples showed histologically normal spermatogenesis and serve as a positive control. mRNA expression of jumonji domain‐containing 1A (JMJD1A), PRM1, PRM2 and transition nuclear proteins (TNP1, TNP2) genes was determined, by RT‐qPCR. Significantly lower expression of JMJD1A ( p < .001), PRM1 ( p = .0265) and PRM2 ( p = .0032) has been seen in the SCOS group of NOA. We found significant ( p < .001) increase in PRM1/PRM2 mRNA ratio in testicular biopsy samples of SCOS group of NOA patients and significant negative correlation of PRM1/PRM2 mRNA ratio with JMJD1A. Hence, PRM1/PRM2 mRNA ratio may represent a more reliable and accurate marker to assess sperm quality in NOA in addition to standard semen parameters.