Association between body mass index and sperm miR-34c transcript content

Background: Obesity has been considered as an important factor contributing male infertility. Present study was done to investigate the relationship between body mass index (BMI) and sperm miR-34c transcript content in normozoospermic men.Objective: Present study was done to investigate the relationship between body mass index (BMI) and sperm miR-34c transcript content in normozoospermic men.Materials and Methods: Present study was approved by the institutional review board of Biology Department, Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz. BMI were measured in a total of 30 men attending an infertility clinic and categorized to two groups with normal weight (18.5-24.9 kg/m2) and overweight (25.00-29.9 kg/m2). Standard sperm parameters were analyzed according to the World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines and expression levels of miR-34c were assessed in ejaculated sperm.Results: Expression of miR-34c was significantly (p<0.05) higher in men with normal BMI than overweight men. The sperm content of miR-34c showed significant (p=0.020, r=0.422) relationship with BMI.Conclusion: Our findings show the association between sperm content of miR-34c and body mass index and suggest that obesity could affect sperm microRNAs expression profile.

Keywords:

Body mass index , Obesity , Male fertility , Semen quality , miR-34c