J Androl. 2011 Feb 24. [Epub ahead of print]

Association of TNF{alpha}, TNFR1 and TNFR2 Polymorphisms with Sperm Concentration and Motility.

Lazaros LA, Xita NV, Chatzikyriakidou AL, Kaponis AI, Grigoriadis NG, Hatzi EG, Grigoriadis IG, Sofikitis NV, Zikopoulos KA, Georgiou IA.

Abstract

Tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα) is a multifunctional cytokine that regulates various cellular processes related to spermatogenesis. Two types of cell receptors, TNFR1 and TNFR2, mediate TNFα activity. In the present study, we sought to explore the association of TNFα -857C>T, TNFR1 36A>G and TNFR2 676T>G polymorphisms with sperm concentration and motility. Two hundred ninety men were examined during infertility investigation, of those 170 men were normozoospermic while 120 were oligospermic. PCR analysis revealed significant differences in genotype distribution of the TNFR1 36A>G polymorphism between normozoospermic and oligospermic men. Men with oligozoospermia presented TNFR1 36A/A genotypes less frequently than normozoospermic men (p < 0.001). The presence of the TNFR1 36G allele was significantly increased in oligospermic men (p < 0.001). Furthermore, the presence of TNFR1 36G allele was associated with lower sperm concentration in normozoospermic men (p < 0.03) and in the total study population (p < 0.001) and with lower sperm motility in normozoospermic men (p G polymorphisms and semen quality. The TNFR1 36A allele is associated with increased sperm concentration and motility in our series, supporting the significance of TNFR1 gene in semen quality.

PMID:

21350240 [PubMed – as supplied by publisher]