Altered miRNA Expression Profile in Human Sperm and Seminal Plasma Following Cryopreservation-Thawing: A Small RNA Sequencing Study

For seminal plasma, 30 donors were randomly divided into 3 groups (n=10 per group), pooled, and split into fresh control (D3, D4, D5) and cryopreservation-thawing (C3, C4, C5) groups. In sperm, cryopreservation-thawing induced [X] differentially expressed miRNAs ([Y] upregulated, [Z] downregulated). In seminal plasma, we identified 15 differentially expressed miRNAs (9 upregulated, 6 downregulated).

GO and KEGG analyses revealed enrichment in fatty acid degradation, Toll-like receptor signaling, and oxidative phosphorylation pathways in both sample types. Our findings provide a comprehensive resource for understanding the molecular mechanisms of sperm cryodamage and developing biomarker-based tools for post-thaw semen quality assessment in ART settings.