PD36-09 DIFFERENTIAL EXPRESSION OF SEMINAL PLASMA PROTEINS IN RESPONDERS AND NON-RESPONDERS TO VARICOCELE TREATMENT

Abstract

You have accessJournal of UrologyCME1 May 2022PD36-09 DIFFERENTIAL EXPRESSION OF SEMINAL PLASMA PROTEINS IN RESPONDERS AND NON-RESPONDERS TO VARICOCELE TREATMENT Timur Bitsoev, Vitaliy Chagovets, Taras Shatylko, Alisa Tokareva, Safar Gamidov, Natalia Starodubtseva, Alina Popova, and Vladimir Frankevich Timur BitsoevTimur Bitsoev More articles by this author , Vitaliy ChagovetsVitaliy Chagovets More articles by this author , Taras ShatylkoTaras Shatylko More articles by this author , Alisa TokarevaAlisa Tokareva More articles by this author , Safar GamidovSafar Gamidov More articles by this author , Natalia StarodubtsevaNatalia Starodubtseva More articles by this author , Alina PopovaAlina Popova More articles by this author , and Vladimir FrankevichVladimir Frankevich More articles by this author View All Author Informationhttps://doi.org/10.1097/JU.0000000000002594.09AboutPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissionsReprints ShareFacebookLinked InTwitterEmail Abstract INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVE: Despite large amounts of evidence linking varicocele to male infertility, the role of varicocele repair in infertile men is controversial. Even after technically perfect operation not all couples achieve pregnancy or at least have a significant improvement in semen parameters. Probably, there are cases of infertility which share a causal relationship with varicocele, and there are cases when idiopathic infertility co-exists with harmless varicocele. Unfortunately, there is no way to predict response to varicocele treatment among infertile males. Since sperm are transcriptionally inert, the proteome of seminal plasma is relatively stable and may reflect the true extent of deleterious effects of varicocele, such as oxidative stress and hyperthermia. Our goal was to assess whether proteomic signature of seminal plasma may help to distinguish responders and non-responders to varicocele repair. METHODS: We used mass-spectrometry to perform a proteomic analysis of seminal plasma specimens obtained from 10 infertile patients (age: 25–44 years) with bilateral varicocele. All patients underwent routine semen analysis and had at least two altered core parameters out of three (total sperm count, progressive motility, percentage of sperm with normal morphology). Microsurgical bilateral subinguinal varicocelectomy was performed in all patients. Routine semen analysis and proteomic analysis were repeated at follow-up, which was scheduled at 6 months after the surgery. Responders were defined as patients whose spouse became pregnant during follow-up period or whose total motile sperm count increased by at least 50%. Proteomic profiles of responders and non-responders were compared. RESULTS: Five patients were responders to varicocele repair (partners of two of them became pregnant). Proteomic analysis identified 18 proteins with differential expression in responders and non-responders: melanophilin, kallikrein-2, alpha-actinin-4, Kunitz-type protease inhibitor 3, alpha-1-acid glycoprotein 1, CD177 antigen, alpha-1-acid glycoprotein 2, protein-glutamine gamma-glutamyltransferase 4, phosphatidylethanol amine-binding protein 4, acyl-CoA-binding protein, hemoglobin subunit alpha, antileukoproteinase, collagen alpha-1(XVIII) chain, vitronectin, serine protease HTRA1, V-type proton ATPase catalytic subunit A, endoplasmic reticulum resident protein 44, NADP-dependent malic enzyme. CONCLUSIONS: If validated, semen proteomics may become a useful tool to predict response to varicocele repair and avoid unnecessary surgery. Source of Funding: N/A © 2022 by American Urological Association Education and Research, Inc.FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Volume 207Issue Supplement 5May 2022Page: e636 Advertisement Copyright & Permissions© 2022 by American Urological Association Education and Research, Inc.MetricsAuthor Information Timur Bitsoev More articles by this author Vitaliy Chagovets More articles by this author Taras Shatylko More articles by this author Alisa Tokareva More articles by this author Safar Gamidov More articles by this author Natalia Starodubtseva More articles by this author Alina Popova More articles by this author Vladimir Frankevich More articles by this author Expand All Advertisement PDF DownloadLoading ...