Introduction: Coronavirus spread rapidly around the world, posing a major challenge to medical science for controlling and treating its complications. It is well known that this disease can have devastating effects on various body systems, including the male reproductive system. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of COVID-19 on male testicular tissue, by focusing on cytokine storm and microRNAs involved in apoptosis.
Methods: In this case series study, which was conducted on 20 individuals with COVID-19 and healthy cases from March 2021 to May 2021 at the Iranian Legal Medicine Organization, Tehran, Iran. In this study, testicular tissue samples were obtained from the deceased participants approximately 8 to 12 hours after their death to ensure the preservation of tissue integrity and minimize postmortem changes. These samples, each measuring 3×3 cm², were collected. We examined the effects of COVID-19 on the number of immune cells (CD68 and CD3) using immunohistochemically staining. Furthermore, we performed a real-time PCR assay to assess the gene expression of CD68 and CD3 as well as miRNA-32, miRNA-146, miRNA-147, miRNA-148, and miRNA-152 in testicular specimens.
Results: Testicular tissue showed a marked increase in CD68 and CD3 positive cells, markers of macrophages and T-lymphocytes, respectively. Furthermore, our molecular analysis revealed that this viral infection increased the expression of CD68 and CD3 while decreasing that of MiR-146, MiR-148, and MiR-152.
Conclusion: Overall, COVID-19 could negatively affect the function of the male reproductive system through uncontrolled inflammation responses, as indicated by the current study. (www. actabiomedica.it)