Expression Patterns of Leptin, Leptin Receptor, Kiss۱, and HOTAIR Genes in Blood and Semen of Infertile Males with Oligospermia

Background: Infertility affects about ۱۵% of couples during reproductive age and male factor infertility accounts for half of these cases. This study aimed to evaluate the expression of leptin, KISS۱, leptin receptor, and HOTAIR genes in blood and semen samples of individuals diagnosed with oligospermia in comparison to healthy controls. Methods: In the current investigation, we studied ۳۶ semen and ۳۰ blood samples from fertile oligospermic men as well as the same number of healthy controls. RNA was extracted and cDNA was synthesized. Real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was conducted to assess the gene expression levels. Statistical analysis was performed using Graph Pad Prism software. The results were reported as mean±SEM and any P< ۰.۰۵ were considered statistically significant. Results: A significant increase in the expression of the leptin gene in infertile males, particularly in semen samples (P< ۰.۰۰۱) was found when compared to the healthy controls. On the other hand, significant decrease in the expression of the KISS۱ (P< ۰.۰۰۰۱) and HOTAIR (P< ۰.۰۰۱) genes, particularly in semen samples were found when compared to the controls. As it was shown, the expression of leptin receptor had no significant effects on male infertility. Additionally, there may be a potential correlation between the expression of HOTAIR and the leptin and KISS۱ genes, with a negative correlation observed between HOTAIR and leptin, and a positive correlation between HOTAIR and KISS۱ in both blood and semen samples. However, further investigations are necessary to establish the statistical significance of these correlations. Conclusion: According to the results, leptin, KISS۱, and HOTAIR genes seem to be affected in oligospermia, however, further studies with higher sample sizes are necessary.

Keywords:

Ene expression , HOTAIR long non-coding RNA , Infertility , Kiss۱ , Leptin , Leptin receptor.