Autophagy related gene expression status in patients diagnosed with azoospermia: A cross-sectional study.

As a first study, the current research suggests that an alteration in the expression of autophagy pathway genes may be associated with male infertility. Based on our finding, the increased expression of Bcl2 and formation of Becline1/Bcl2 complex, which inhibits Beclin1 recruitment, may lead to a decrease of the autophagy process in azoospermic patients. Accordingly, upon further investigation, the autophagy could be considered as an important aspect during spermatogenesis.