High mRNA expression of GABA receptors in human sperm with oligoasthenoteratozoospermia and teratozoospermia and its association with sperm parameters and intracytoplasmic sperm injection outcomes

Abstract

Objective: This study investigated the mRNA expression of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) receptors in the sperm of oligoasthenoteratozoospermic (OAT) and teratozoospermic (TER) men compared to normozoospermic (NOR) men, as well as the relationships between GABA receptor expression and sperm parameters, fertilization rate, and embryo quality.Methods: The mRNA expression of GABA A-α1 and GABA B-R2 receptors in sperm was examined using reverse transcription–polymerase chain reaction in three groups of patients: NOR (n=32), OAT (n=22), and TER (n=45). The fertilization rate and embryo quality were assessed in 35 patients undergoing Intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI; 10 NOR, 10 OAT, and 15 TER men). Results: OAT men had significantly higher mRNA expression of GABA A-α1 and GABA B-R2 receptors in sperm than NOR men; however, the difference between TER and NOR men was not significant. High levels of these receptors were significantly correlated with low sperm concentration, motility, and morphology, as well as the rate of good-quality embryos (GQE) at the cleavage stage after ICSI. Patients whose female partners had a >50% GQE rate at the cleavage stage had significantly lower levels of GABA A-α1 receptor expression than those whose partners had a ≤50% GQE rate.Conclusion: Our findings indicate that mRNA levels of GABA receptors in human sperm are correlated with poor sperm quality and associated with embryo development after ICSI treatment. The GABA A-α1 receptor in sperm has a stronger relationship with embryo quality at the cleavage stage than the GABA B-R2 receptor.

Proteomics and Metabolic Characteristics of Boar Seminal Plasma Extracellular Vesicles Reveal Biomarker Candidates Related to Sperm Motility

“…In this study, we detected the content of pyruvate in sperm and found a significant increase in pyruvate content in the L group, indicating that pyruvate may regulate sperm motility and function through multiple metabolic pathways. Previous studies suggested that GABA can affect the sperm acrosomal reaction. − IL4I1 can produce reactive oxygen species (ROS) and play an important role in regulating sperm function . Our results showed that the protein expression level of IL4I1 in the L group was higher than that in the H group, indicating that it may cause damage to sperm by producing excessive ROS …”

Effects of Heat Stress on Motion Characteristics and Metabolomic Profiles of Boar Spermatozoa

“…Differential metabolites and metabolic pathways identified in this study might be relevant to human sperm quality. For example, mRNA levels of γ-aminobutyric acid receptors in human sperm are correlated with poor sperm quality [ 43 ]. D-aspartate could protect human sperm via preventing the decrease of motility and the increase of DNA fragmentation and lipid peroxidation [ 44 ].…”