Influence of a single nucleotide polymorphism in miR-196a2 on idiopathic asthenozoospermia in Iranian Azeri males

Asthenozoospermia (AZS), sperm immobility, is one of the major cause of men infertility. Evidence suggested that microRNAs (miRNAs) play a critical role in spermatogenesis process. However, the association of miRNAs polymorphisms with idiopathic male infertility remains unknown. Therefore, we investigated correlation between miR-196a2 rs11614913 polymorphism and idiopathic AZS among Iranian Azeri men.

In this study, 50 men with idiopathic AZS (case group) as well as 50 age and ethnically matched healthy men (control group) were enrolled from East Azerbaijan, Iran. The proteinase K method was used to extract the genomic DNA from sperm samples. Finally, genotyping was conducted using tetra-primer amplification refractory mutation system-polymerase chain reaction (Tetra-ARMS PCR) method.

The frequency of TT, TC, and CC genotypes were 12%, 54%, and 34%, respectively, in patients with AZS; whereas the figures were 8%, 40%, and 52% in healthy controls, respectively. We found a significant difference between case and control groups in term of CC genotype frequency (P = 0.016).

We found a significant correlation between miR-196a2 rs11614913 polymorphism and AZS in Iranian Azeri men.