BACKGROUND: Asthenozoospermia is one kind of cause of male infertility.
Nevertheless, no specific etiology can be identified by routine tests in some cases. Recently, it has been shown that leptin plays a critical role in male fertility. However, the link between leptin and sperm motility is yet to be determined. The aim of this study was to explore association between seminal and serum leptin levels and sperm motility in idiopathic asthenozoospermia.
METHODS: Our study included 79 asthenozoospermic men and 77 normozoospermic men. Semen was assessed by volume, sperm concentration, motility and morphology. Serum gonadotropic and sex hormones were determined by a chemiluminescent assay. The leptin levels in serum and seminal plasma were detected with ELISA.
RESULTS: The mean seminal leptin level in asthenozoospermic group was significantly higher than that in control group, but there was no significant difference in the serum leptin levels between these two groups. The serum leptin had no significant correlation with sperm motility. The seminal leptin had significantly negative correlation with sperm progressive motility and serum total testosterone.
CONCLUSIONS: The findings indicate a pathophysiological relevance of seminal leptin in sperm motility.
Written by:
Guo J, Zhao Y, Huang W, Hu W, Gu J, Chen C, Zhou J, Peng Y, Gong M, Wang Z. Are you the author?
Department of Urology and Andrology, Ninth People's Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiaotong University Shanghai 200011, China; Department of Urology, Shanghai Pudong Hospital, Fudan University Pudong Medical Centre Shanghai 201399, China; Department of General Family Medicine, Zhuqiao Community Health Service Centre Shanghai 201323, China.
Reference: Int J Clin Exp Med. 2014 Oct 15;7(10):3550-3555.
PubMed Abstract
PMID: 25419396