Portal de Periódicos da CAPES

Distinct Expression Pattern of Cytokines in Semen of Men with Genital Infection and Oligo‐Terato‐Asthenozoospermia

2002; Wiley; Volume: 48; Issue: 3 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1034/j.1600-0897.2002.01086.x

1600-0897

Ioannis Matalliotakis, Aydın Arıcı, Anastasia G. Goumenou, Georgios Koumantakis, Belgin Selam, G Matalliotakis, Evgenios Koumantakis,

Reproductive Physiology in Livestock

The objective of this study was to evaluate the possible relevance of cytokines in seminal plasma (SP) of patients with accessory gland infection and oligoterato-asthenozoospermia.Semen samples were obtained by masturbation from 90 men and were examined for the presence of interleukin (IL)-2, IL-6, IL-8, IL-11 and soluble CD23 (sCD23) by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Five groups were included: (1) fertile men (n = 20), (2) infertile men with varicocele and oligo-teratoasthenozoospermia (V-OTA, n = 20), (3) infertile men with genital infection and OTA (INF-OTA, n = 20), (4) infertile men with idiopathic testicular lesion and OTA (ITL-OTA, n = 20) and (5) infertile men with azoospermia (AZOO, n = 10).We found that the mean level of IL-2 was higher in SP from infertile men compared with SP from fertile men (P < 0.05). Mean levels of IL-6, IL-8, IL-11 in SP of INF-OTA were higher than that of all other groups (P < 0.05, P < 0.05, P < 0.001, respectively). However, no significant differences could be detected between other groups. A significant increase was noted in sCD23 levels in SP from men with ITL-OTA compared with all other groups (P < 0.01). We have not observed any correlations between IL-2, IL-6, IL-8, IL-11 and sCD23 levels in SP and semen parameters. Spearman's correlation coefficient revealed that there was a significant association between IL-6, IL-8, IL-11 levels in men with INF-OTA.The measurement of each cytokine separately in the SP of men with INF-OTA, in spite of the existing significant differences, does not have a diagnostic value in male infertility. However, a combined determination of IL-6, IL-8, IL-11 in the SP of men with genital infection and oligo-terato-asthenozoospermia may provide clinically useful information for the diagnosis of male accessory gland infection.