The impact of testis specific cytochrome oxidase 6b2 (cox6b2) on male fertility

Background: Asthenozoospermia is a frequent cause of male infertility characterized by reduced sperm motility. The molecular mechanism underlying the sperm motility is not fully understood. Progressive movement requires plenty level of energy which is supplied via two metabolic pathways – glycolysis and oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS). The appropriate role of these pathways is not clear in the sperm motility. This study proposed to identify a novel biomarkers by comparison of sperm proteomic and genomic analysis between asthenozoospermic and normospermic control patients.Methods: We evaluated fourteen infertile patients affected by idiopathic asthenozoospermia and sixteen normospermic fertile donor. In the current study, immunofluorescence staining localized Cytochrome C OxidaseVIb (cox6b2), the testis specific isoform in the human sperm mid-piece. By Real time PCR, we demonstrated the expression level of cox6b2 in asthenozoospermic samples.Result: All data were initially tested to screen for normality and homogeneity of variance, and T-test or Nonparametric test were performed for the comparison of different groups. Statistically significant differences were determined at PConclusion: Our results demonstrated that low expression of cox6b2 defines inappropriate function of OXPHOS pathway, also the increased expression of these substances may influence sperm motility.

کلیدواژه ها:

Biomarkers ، cox6b2 ، Male fertility ، Oxidative phosphorylation ، Asthenozoospermic