A systematic review identifying fertility biomarkers in semen: a clinical approach through Omics to diagnose male infertility

Author, as appears in the article.: Llavanera, Marc; Delgado-Bermudez, Ariadna; Ribas-Maynou, Jordi; Salas-Huetos, Albert; Yeste, Marc

Department: Ciències Mèdiques Bàsiques

URV's Author/s: Salas Huetos, Albert

Keywords: Spermatozoa; Sperm; Seminal plasma; Semen analysis; Semen; Omics; Molecular biomarkers; Male; Infertility, male; Infertility; Humans; Fertility; Biomarkers

Abstract: ObjectiveTo identify the most robust molecular biomarkers in sperm and seminal plasma for the diagnosis of male infertility, and to evaluate their clinical use.DesignSystematic review.SettingNot applicable.Patient(s)Accessible studies reporting well-defined (in)fertile populations and semen molecular biomarkers were included in this review.Intervention(s)A systematic search of the literature published in MEDLINE-PubMed and EMBASE databases was performed, following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines.Main outcome measure(s)The primary outcome was the content, expression, or activity of molecular biomarkers in human semen samples. Only studies reporting a receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) analysis values were included.Result(s)Eighty-nine studies were included. Direct evaluation of sperm DNA damage has high potential as a diagnostic biomarker of fertility and assisted reproductive technology outcomes (area under the curve [AUCs] median = 0.67). Regarding strand break-associated chromatin modifications, γH2AX levels show good predictive value for the diagnosis of male infertility (AUCs median = 0.93). Some noncoding ribonucleic acid (RNA) exhibit excellent predictive values; miR-34c-5p in semen is the most well-characterized and robust transcriptomic biomarker (AUCs median = 0.78). While many proteins in semen show fair diagnostic value for sperm quality and fertilizing capacity, the levels of some, such as TEX101, in seminal plasma have an excellent diagnostic potential (AUCs median = 0.69). Although individual metabolites and metabolomic profiles in seminal plasma present good predictive value, the latter seem to be better than the former when inferring sperm quality and fertilizing capacity.Conclusion(s)The current review supports that some Omics (e.g., DNA structure and integrity, genomics and epigenomics, transcriptomics, metabolomics, and proteomics) could be considered relevant molecular biomarkers that may help identify infertility etiologies and fertilization prognosis with cost-effective, simple, and accurate diagnosis.

Thematic Areas: Zootecnia / recursos pesqueiros; Saúde coletiva; Reproductive medicine; Reproductive biology; Química; Odontología; Obstetrics and gynecology; Obstetrics & gynecology; Medicina veterinaria; Medicina iii; Medicina ii; Medicina i; Interdisciplinar; General medicine; Farmacia; Ensino; Educação física; Ciências biológicas iii; Ciências biológicas ii; Ciências biológicas i; Ciências agrárias i; Biotecnología; Biodiversidade

licence for use: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/es/

Author's mail: albert.salas@urv.cat

Record's date: 2025-02-18

Paper version: info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersion

Link to the original source: https://www.fertstert.org/article/S0015-0282(22)00272-2/fulltext

Licence document URL: https://repositori.urv.cat/ca/proteccio-de-dades/

Paper original source: Fertility And Sterility. 118 (2): 291-313

APA: Llavanera, Marc; Delgado-Bermudez, Ariadna; Ribas-Maynou, Jordi; Salas-Huetos, Albert; Yeste, Marc (2022). A systematic review identifying fertility biomarkers in semen: a clinical approach through Omics to diagnose male infertility. Fertility And Sterility, 118(2), 291-313. DOI: 10.1016/j.fertnstert.2022.04.028

Article's DOI: 10.1016/j.fertnstert.2022.04.028

Entity: Universitat Rovira i Virgili

Journal publication year: 2022

Publication Type: Journal Publications