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    <journal-meta>
      <journal-id journal-id-type="nlm-ta">J Reprod Infert</journal-id>
      <journal-id journal-id-type="publisher-id">arij001</journal-id>
      <journal-title-group>
        <journal-title>Journal of Reproduction &amp; Infertility</journal-title>
      </journal-title-group>
      <issn pub-type="ppub">2228-5482</issn>
      <issn pub-type="epub">2251-676X</issn>
      <publisher>
        <publisher-name>Avicenna Research Institute</publisher-name>
      </publisher>
    </journal-meta>

    <article-meta>
      <article-id pub-id-type="publisher-id">jri140266</article-id>
      <article-id pub-id-type="doi"></article-id>
      <article-id pub-id-type="pmid"></article-id>
      <article-categories>
        <subj-group subj-group-type="heading">
             <subject></subject> 
        </subj-group>
        <subj-group>
            <subject></subject>
        </subj-group> 
      </article-categories>
      <title-group>
        <article-title>Altered Expression of Toll-Like Receptors and Key Signaling Genes in Sertoli Cells of Azoospermic Patients</article-title>
      </title-group>
        <contrib-group><contrib contrib-type="author"><name><surname>Lakpour</surname><given-names>Mohammad Reza</given-names></name></contrib><aff>Department of Biology, Payame Noor University, Tehran, Iran</aff><aff>Department of Gerontology, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences Branch, ACECR, Tehran, Iran</aff></contrib-group><contrib-group><contrib contrib-type="author"><name><surname>Aflatoonian</surname><given-names>Reza</given-names></name></contrib><aff>Department of Endocrinology and Female Infertility, Reproductive Biomedicine Research Center, Royan Institute for Reproductive Biomedicine, ACECR, Tehran, Iran</aff></contrib-group><contrib-group><contrib contrib-type="author"><name><surname>Sadighi Gilani</surname><given-names>Mohammad Ali</given-names></name></contrib><aff>Department of Andrology, Reproductive Biomedicine Research Center, Royan Institute for Reproductive Biomedicine, ACECR, Tehran, Iran</aff></contrib-group><contrib-group><contrib contrib-type="author"><name><surname>Hajihosseini</surname><given-names>Reza</given-names></name></contrib><aff>Department of Biology, Payame Noor University, Tehran, Iran</aff></contrib-group><contrib-group><contrib contrib-type="author"><name><surname>Sabbaghian</surname><given-names>Marjan</given-names></name></contrib><aff>Department of Andrology, Reproductive Biomedicine Research Center, Royan Institute for Reproductive Biomedicine, ACECR, Tehran, Iran</aff></contrib-group>
      <pub-date pub-type="ppub">
        <day></day>
        <month></month>
        <year></year>
      </pub-date>
      <pub-date pub-type="epub">
        <day></day>
        <month></month>
        <year></year>
      </pub-date>
      <volume>26</volume>
      <issue>2</issue>
      <fpage>109</fpage>
      <lpage>119</lpage>
      <history>
        <date date-type="received">
          <day>17</day>
          <month>6</month>
          <year>2025</year>
        </date>
        <date date-type="accepted">
          <day>26</day>
          <month>7</month>
          <year>2025</year>
        </date>
      </history>
      <abstract>
      <p>
      &lt;p&gt;Background: Azoospermia, the complete absence of sperm in the ejaculate, is a major cause of male infertility. Sertoli cells are essential for spermatogenesis, and disruptions in innate immune immune pathways, particularly Toll-like receptors (TLRs), may impair their function. This study investigated the expression of TLR1&amp;ndash;10 and downstream signaling molecules (MYD88, NFKB, TRIF, IRF3, and TRAM) in Sertoli cells of azoospermic patients.&lt;br /&gt;
Methods: Testicular tissue were collected from 20 azoospermic men undergoing testicular sperm extraction (TESE). Patients were categorized into two TESE positive (sperm present, n=10) and TESE negative (sperm absent, n=10). Sertoli cells were isolated using enzyme digestion and purified via fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS). Gene expression of TLR1&amp;ndash;10 and signaling molecules was quantified by RT-PCR. Data were analyzed using independent-samples T-test, with significance set at p&amp;lt;0.05.&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;
Results: Significant downregulation was detected in TLR10 (20.6-fold, p&amp;lt;0.0001), TLR9 (4.6-fold, p&amp;lt;0.05), TLR7 (4.8-fold, p&amp;lt;0.01), TLR6 (12.4-fold, p&amp;lt;0.05), TLR5 (13.5-fold, p&amp;lt;0.001), TLR4 (3.2-fold, p&amp;lt;0.05), and TLR3 (3.1-fold, p&amp;lt;0.01). Among signaling molecules, MYD88 (4.1-fold, p&amp;lt;0.01) and IRF3 (4.2-fold, p&amp;lt;0.05) showed significant reductions, indicating impaired immune signaling in Sertoli cells of TESE-negative men.&lt;br /&gt;
Conclusion: Altered expression of TLRs and associated signaling molecules in Sertoli cells of azoospermic men suggests innate immune dysregulation as a potential mecha-nism underlying defective spermatogenesis. These findings highlight immune privilege-associated pathways as possible targets for developing diagnostic biomarkers and novel therapeutic approaches for male infertility.&lt;/p&gt;

      </p>
      </abstract>
    </article-meta>
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