Abstract
Background and Objectives: Human sperm contains a wide spectrum of cytokines; such as interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha). Their effects on semen quality are still under debate. This study aims at assessing possible association of these two cytokins with semen characteristics in patients with grade II-III varicocele.
Materials and Methods: In this analytic-descriptive study, 30 male patients with grade II-III varicocele were recruited in Tabriz Sina Hospital within a 12-month period. Levels of IL-6 and TNF-alpha were measured in seminal plasma, spermatic vein sample and peripheral serum specimen. Correlations between these parameters and sperm count, motility and morphology were assessed.
Results: The mean levels of IL-6 were 23.73±9.02, 28.73±11.98 and 38.20±13.28 pg/mL in specimens from peripheral serum, spermatic vein and seminal plasma, respectively. The mean levels of TNF-alpha were 4.78±1.91, 5.66±2.95 and 6.45±2.55 pg/mL in specimens from peripheral serum, spermatic vein and seminal plasma, respectively. The mean seminal plasma IL-6 level was significantly higher in the cases with grade III varicocele. There were significant negative correlations between seminal plasma IL-6 and sperm count (r=-0.46, P=0.01) and motility (r=-0.38, P=0.04). There was no significant correlation between the spermatic vein and peripheral serum IL-6 or seminal plasma, spermatic vein and peripheral serum TNF-alpha with the spermatozoal parameters.
Conclusion: Seminal plasma IL-6 is associated with worse spermatozoal parameters in seminal analysis of patients with grade II-III varicocele.