Saito S, Kumamoto Y, Ito N, Kurohata T
Department of Urology, Sapporo Medical College, Japan.
Arch Androl. 1988;20(1):87-99. doi: 10.3109/01485018808987057.
The level of human seminal chorionic gonadotropin beta-subunit (hCG beta) was determined by radioimmunoassay (RIA). The mean hCG beta level in 34 normal men was 3.7 +/- 1.6 ng/ml, which was much higher than that in serum. The mean hCG beta level for 20 patients with mild oligozoospermia (20-39 x 10(6) sperm/ml) was 2.5 +/- 0.8 ng/ml, that for 34 patients with severe oligozoospermia (1-19 x 10(6) sperm/ml) was 1.7 +/- 0.5 ng/ml, and that for 21 azoospermia was 1.5 +/- 0.6 ng/ml. Thus, the decrease of sperm count was correlated with the decrease of hCG beta. In 17 cases to which testicular biopsy was applied together with sperm counting, the seminal hCG beta level was found to positively correlate with the germinal cell index (the ratio germinal cell count/Sertoli cell count) and with the testicular volume. The level of seminal hCG beta was also found to correlate negatively with the levels of seminal LH and FSH and positively with the level of seminal testosterone. These findings suggest that the production of seminal hCG beta is a process of spermatogenesis and closely related to spermatogenesis. The level of hCG beta in serum was too low to detect, and no relation to that in seminal plasma could be investigated. However, in 6 cases with testicular tumor, the hCG beta level in serum was high, whereas that in seminal plasma was rather low probably because of unilateral secretion. Enhanced production of hCG beta by tumor tissues and the destruction of the blood-testis barrier by proliferation of tumor cells seemed to be one of the causes of this high hCG beta level in serum. The hCG beta levels in 13 vasectomized seminal plasma and the prostatic fluid samples collected from 3 normal men were 1.5 ng/ml, which was similar to those in azoospermic patients. These findings suggest that the seminal hCG beta level consists of the hCG beta secreted by the testis and about 1.5 ng/ml of hCG beta from the prostate. Based on these results, seminal hCG beta is thought to be secreted by the prostate and the process of spermatogenesis and the value of seminal hCG beta may serve as an effective index for the testicular function.
采用放射免疫分析法（RIA）测定人精液中绒毛膜促性腺激素β亚基（hCGβ）水平。34名正常男性的hCGβ平均水平为3.7±1.6 ng/ml，远高于血清中的水平。20例轻度少精子症患者（精子密度为20 - 39×10⁶/ml）的hCGβ平均水平为2.5±0.8 ng/ml，34例重度少精子症患者（精子密度为1 - 19×10⁶/ml）的为1.7±0.5 ng/ml，21例无精子症患者的为1.5±0.6 ng/ml。因此，精子数量的减少与hCGβ的降低相关。在17例同时进行睾丸活检和精子计数的病例中，精液hCGβ水平与生精细胞指数（生精细胞计数/支持细胞计数的比值）及睾丸体积呈正相关。精液hCGβ水平还与精液中促黄体生成素（LH）和促卵泡生成素（FSH）水平呈负相关，与精液睾酮水平呈正相关。这些发现提示精液hCGβ的产生是一个生精过程，且与生精密切相关。血清中hCGβ水平过低无法检测，因此无法研究其与精浆中hCGβ水平的关系。然而，在6例睾丸肿瘤患者中，血清hCGβ水平较高，而精浆中hCGβ水平较低，可能是由于单侧分泌所致。肿瘤组织中hCGβ产生增加以及肿瘤细胞增殖破坏血睾屏障似乎是血清中hCGβ水平升高的原因之一。13例输精管结扎患者的精浆以及3名正常男性的前列腺液样本中hCGβ水平均为1.5 ng/ml，与无精子症患者的水平相似。这些发现提示精液hCGβ水平由睾丸分泌的hCGβ以及来自前列腺的约1.5 ng/ml的hCGβ组成。基于这些结果，精液hCGβ被认为是由前列腺分泌的，且精液hCGβ水平可作为睾丸功能的有效指标。
