Exploration of Four MicroRNA Expressions (miR‐371a‐3p, miR‐34c‐5p, miR‐146b‐5p, and miR‐199a‐3p) in the Seminal Plasma of Asthenozoospermic Infertile Tunisian Patients

Asthenozoospermia (ASZ) is a semen condition characterized by reduced sperm motility; it is observed in ~40% of male infertility cases, and it is related to various factors including genetic and epigenetic factors such as microRNAs (miRNAs). Although miRNAs play a crucial role in spermatogenesis, their function in seminal plasma and their relationship with ASZ remain largely unknown, with a considerable amount of controversial and contradictory data. This study aimed to explore the expression variation of miRNAs (miR‐371a‐3p, miR‐34c‐5p, miR‐146b‐5p, and miR‐199a‐3p) in relation to ASZ. We collected seminal plasma samples from Tunisian infertile patients with ASZ (progressive sperm motility <32%) and without ASZ (normospermic patients) and performed quantitative real‐time PCR to identify differentially expressed miRNAs. Three miRNAs showed dysregulated expression in the seminal plasma of patients with ASZ (miR‐34c‐5p, miR‐146b‐5p, and miR‐199a‐3p). Two miRNAs were upregulated (miR‐34c‐5p and miR‐146b‐5p; p < 0.05), while miR‐199a‐3p was downregulated ( p < 0.05) compared to patients without ASZ. The expression levels of miR‐199a‐3p and miR‐34c‐5p were significantly correlated with sperm motility and vitality percentage with an area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve (area under the curve [AUC]) of 0.75 and 0.71, respectively. These findings indicate that the three miRNAs (miR‐34c‐5p, miR‐146b‐5p, and miR‐199a‐3p) are implicated in the etiology of ASZ and could be recognized as potential indicators of disrupted sperm function and male infertility.