The influence of l ‐carnitine on the expression of miRNAs in asthenospermia spermatozoa and the network regulation of the associated molecules

Abstract

l‐carnitine is a natural compound that is indispensable for energy metabolism in mammals. The efficiency and safety of l‐carnitine in improving sperm activity, enhancing epididymal function and treating male infertility has been widely acknowledged by clinicians. CircRNAs can regulate gene expression at the transcriptional or post‐transcriptional level by serving as a molecular sponge of miRNAs with miRNA response elements. However, the detailed mechanism linking miRNA, circRNA and asthenospermia remains unclear. The present study demonstrated that hsa‐miR‐27b‐3p, hsa‐miR‐151a‐5p and hsa‐miR‐206 play an important role in the effects of l‐carnitine treatment of the spermatozoa in asthenospermia patients. Furthermore, the target mRNAs of hsa‐miR‐206 were analysed by GO and KEGG. The results show that the target mRNAs of hsa‐miR‐206 may change the activity of ATP synthase and participate in the cAMP signalling pathway and the calcium signalling pathway, which may play an important role in sperm motility.

CircRNA Role and circRNA-Dependent Network (ceRNET) in Asthenozoospermia

“…Interestingly, circRNAs in normozoospermic derived SPZ were, in particular, linked to DNA duplication, cell cycle, and oocyte meiosis, which are biological processes important for the first stages of embryo development ( 20 ). Conversely, DE-circRNAs analyzed here have been found to be involved in cAMP and insulin signaling, ABC transporters, long-term depression and potentiation, the phosphatidylinositol signaling system, renin secretion, Rap1 signaling and Hedgehog signaling, and the circadian rhythm which are important enriched pathways that are related to mitochondria function and sperm motility ( 50 – 53 ). The construction of a ceRNET is a useful instrument to shed light on predicted mRNA targets of circRNAs ( 25 ).…”

CircRNA circFOXK2 facilitates oncogenesis in breast cancer via IGF2BP3/miR-370 axis

“…Also, circFOXK2 may participate in the regulation of myotonic dystrophy [ 39 ]. Moreover, circFOXK2, a sponge of miR-206, is predicted to be involved in asthenospermia, a common cause of human male infertility [ 40 ]. In cancers, the role of circRNAs in metastasis has been widely recognized.…”

Circular RNAs: Novel potential regulators in embryogenesis, female infertility, and pregnancy‐related diseases

“…Notably, ssc_circ_1458 and ssc_circ_1132 were considered to be potential biomarkers for evaluating sperm motility because they were differentially expressed between high and low motility sperms (Gòdia et al, 2020). In addition, circRNAs were capable of predicting sperm motility improvement during the treatment of asthenospermia (Liu et al, 2020; Manfrevola et al, 2020).…”

“…The GO and KEGG pathway analysis showed that target genes and mRNAs of Hsa‐miR‐206 were enriched in pathways involved in cell communication, signal transduction, cell motility, and cAMP signaling pathway, and modulation of sperm motility. Hsa_circ_0003812, hsa_circ_0001337, hsa_circ_0000816, hsa_circ_0000817, and hsa_circ_0000917 sponge hsa‐miR‐206, forming circRNAs‐hsa‐miR‐206‐mRNA network to modulate sperm quality (Liu et al, 2020). Although these findings on clinical application of circRNAs are not exhaustive, the findings show the potential for circRNAs to be therapeutic target, giving us a novel idea to develop disease treatment.…”