Jin Guorong, Liu Jianrong, Qin Qin, Gao Songdan, Zhang Fang, Ma Yuehong, Ding Caiyun, Dong Lina, Yin Haizhen, Wang Yimin
Central Laboratory, Shanxi Provincial People's Hospital, Affiliate of Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, China.
Department of Reproductive Medicine, Shanxi Provincial People's Hospital, Affiliate of Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, China.
Urol J. 2017 Mar 16;14(2):3023-3027.
Varicocele is the most common risk factor for male infertility, however, not all males with varicocele experience infertility. In fact, most patients with varicocele have normal spermatogenesis. The molecular mechanism of varicocele-associated infertility is yet to be completely understood. The aim of this study is to assess the association of a number of fertility regulatory factors on varicocele associated infertility and to throw light on the mechanism of varicocele-associated infertility.
Semen from 30 infertile patients with varicocele and 30 fertile men with varicocele were collected. The concentrations of the following factors in seminal plasma were determined by ELISA: follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH), testosterone (T), androgen binding protein (ABP), transferrin (Trf), inhibin B (INHB) and stem cell factor (SCF). The expression level of c-kit in seminal precipitate of patients with varicocele was detected by real-time PCR.
The concentrations of sexual hormones, FSH, LH and T, had no differences between infertile patients with varicocele and fertile men with varicocele (P > 0.05). Factors secreted by Sertoli cells, ABP, Trf, INHB andSCF, showed no significant differences between the two groups (P > 0.05). Interestingly, the expression of c-kit was significant higher in infertile patients with varicocele than that in fertile men with varicocele (P < 0.01).
Neither the sexual hormones nor the Sertoli cells was responsible for the infertility induced by varicocele.The aberrant expression of c-kit in infertile patients with varicocele may provide new insight into the mechanism of varicocele-associated infertility.
精索静脉曲张是男性不育最常见的危险因素，然而，并非所有患有精索静脉曲张的男性都会出现不育。事实上，大多数精索静脉曲张患者的精子发生正常。精索静脉曲张相关性不育的分子机制尚未完全明确。本研究旨在评估多种生育调节因子与精索静脉曲张相关性不育的关联，并阐明精索静脉曲张相关性不育的机制。
收集30例精索静脉曲张不育患者和30例精索静脉曲张可育男性的精液。采用酶联免疫吸附测定法（ELISA）测定精浆中以下因子的浓度：卵泡刺激素（FSH）、黄体生成素（LH）、睾酮（T）、雄激素结合蛋白（ABP）、转铁蛋白（Trf）、抑制素B（INHB）和干细胞因子（SCF）。采用实时荧光定量聚合酶链反应（real-time PCR）检测精索静脉曲张患者精液沉淀中c-kit的表达水平。
精索静脉曲张不育患者与精索静脉曲张可育男性的性激素FSH、LH和T浓度无差异（P>0.05）。支持细胞分泌的因子ABP、Trf、INHB和SCF在两组间无显著差异（P>0.05）。有趣的是，精索静脉曲张不育患者c-kit的表达显著高于精索静脉曲张可育男性（P<0.01）。
性激素和支持细胞均不是精索静脉曲张所致不育的原因。精索静脉曲张不育患者c-kit的异常表达可能为精索静脉曲张相关性不育的机制提供新的见解。
