Abstract: Non-obstructive azoospermia (NOA) accounts for about 10% to 15% of male infertility. However, the etiology of non-chromosomal NOA is complex and the pathogenesis is still unclear. Spermatogenesis is regulated by transcription factors, genes or signaling pathways. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are a kind of regulatory non-coding RNAs with a length of more than 200 nucleotides, which participate in basic biochemical and cellular processes through various mechanisms such as transcription, post-transcriptional and epigenetic modification. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) bind to mRNA through base-pairing, in which miRNAs promote mRNA degradation or block mRNA translation, and inhibite the expression of the target protein. MiRNAs play multiple roles in biological processes including development, differentiation, cell proliferation and apoptosis. The abnormal expressions of lncRNAs and miRNAs can lead to the disorder of spermatogenesis. Therefore, the study on lncRNAs and miRNAs in NOA is helpful for us to analyse the etiology and pathogenesis of NOA.

Key words: Long non-coding RNAs, MicroRNAs, Azoospermia, Spermatogenesis