Abstract
Resistin is an adipokine involved in inflammation and able to induce the expression of other proinflammatory cytokines. It is known that, in human semen, resistin is correlated with inflammatory cytokines and sperm quality. The aim of this prospective study was to explore the potential relationship between resistin, lipid peroxidation (LPO), catalase (CAT) activity, and reduced and oxidized glutathione (GSH/GSSG) ratio in semen samples of infertile patients with leukocytospermia (no. 19), infertile patients with varicocele (no. 17), and fertile men (no. 17). Semen analysis was performed following the WHO guidelines, and sperm apoptosis and necrosis were evaluated with annexin V/propidium iodide assay. Seminal plasma samples were used to determine resistin levels by an immunological method, MDA concentration by a HPLC analysis with UV detection, GSH/GSSG ratio by an enzymatic method, CAT activity by a spectrophotometric method. The results showed that, in both groups of infertile patients, semen parameters were significantly reduced (P < 0.001) and sperm apoptosis and necrosis percentages were increased. Resistin levels were significantly higher in leukocytospermia and varicocele groups (P < 0.001 and P < 0.01, respectively) as well as MDA concentration (P < 0.001) compared to controls. The MDA level was also significantly increased in the leukocytospermia group versus the varicocele group (P < 0.05). The GSH/GSSG ratio was higher in fertile controls than the leukocytospermia group (P < 0.05) and the varicocele group (P < 0.001) and in the leukocytospermia group versus the varicocele group (P < 0.05). Both the leukocytospermia and varicocele groups showed increased values of CAT activities (P < 0.001) than controls. Briefly, the correlation between variables, calculated in the whole patient population, showed that resistin levels positively correlated with MDA levels, CAT activity, sperm apoptosis, and necrosis and negatively with sperm parameters and GSH/GSSG ratio. These results support an active role of resistin in an inflammatory process causing LPO, increase of CAT activity, and decrease of GSH/GSSG ratio in seminal plasma of infertile men vs. fertile controls.
Highlights
Adipokines, such as leptin, resistin, adiponectin, chemerin, omentin, and visfatin, play a critical role in the development of complications related to obesity and inflammatory conditions [1,2,3]
The values of semen volume were similar in the three groups; the sperm concentration, the percentage of progressive motility, and the percentage of sperm with normal morphology were significantly reduced in both groups of infertile patients (P < 0:001) compared to those observed in the fertile group (Table 1)
The percentage of apoptotic sperm was significantly higher in the leukocytospermia and varicocele groups (P < 0:01) than that detected in fertile men; the percentage of sperm necrosis was significantly increased in the leukocytospermia group (P < 0:001) versus fertile men (Table 1)
Summary
Adipokines, such as leptin, resistin, adiponectin, chemerin, omentin, and visfatin, play a critical role in the development of complications related to obesity and inflammatory conditions [1,2,3]. They are involved in other functions of the organism including those pertinent to the gonadal and hypothalamic-pituitary axis, both in females and in males. Among these adipokines, we studied resistin, a cytokine that belongs to a family of low molecular weight cysteine-rich secretory proteins, synthesized by adipose tissue. Patel et al [6] demonstrated that, in contrast to what it was observed in mouse, resistin was almost undetectable in human adipose
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