Male infertility represents a complex clinical condition that often challenges the ability of reproductive specialists to find its etiology and then propose an adequate treatment. The unexplained decline in sperm count, as well as the association between male infertility and mortality, morbidity, and cancer, has prompted researchers toward an urgent need to better understand the causes of male infertility. Therefore, molecular biologists are increasingly trying to study whether sperm epigenetic alterations may be involved in male infertility and embryo developmental abnormalities. In this context, research is also trying to uncover the hidden role of sperm RNAs, both coding and non-coding. This narrative review aims to thoroughly and comprehensively present the relationship between sperm epigenetics, sperm RNAs, and human fertility. We first focused on the technological aspects of studying sperm epigenetics and RNAs, relating to the complex role(s) played in sperm maturation, fertilization, and embryo development. Then, we examined the intricate connections between epigenetics and RNAs with fertility measures, namely sperm concentration, embryo growth and development, and live birth rate, in both animal and human studies. A better understanding of the molecular mechanisms involved in sperm epigenetic regulation, as well as the impact of RNA players, will help to tackle infertility.
Molecular and cellular biochemistry. 2024 May 08 [Epub ahead of print]
Loredana Leggio, Greta Paternò, Fabrizio Cavallaro, Marco Falcone, Silvia Vivarelli, Claudio Manna, Aldo E Calogero, Rossella Cannarella, Nunzio Iraci
Department of Biomedical and Biotechnological Sciences (BIOMETEC), University of Catania, Catania, Italy., Department of Biomedical and Dental Sciences, Morphological and Functional Imaging, Section of Occupational Medicine, University of Messina, 98125, Messina, Italy., Department of Biomedicine and Prevention, University of Rome "Tor Vergata", Rome, Italy., Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Catania, Catania, Italy., Department of Biomedical and Biotechnological Sciences (BIOMETEC), University of Catania, Catania, Italy. .