Sperm PTEN transcript content in normozoospermic fertile and infertile men

Background: It is believed that routine sperm analysis has limited power to predict reproductive health. So, assays to detect genetic abnormalities have been developed for providing molecular data to clarify pathogenesis of unexplained infertility.Objective: Present study evaluated sperm PTEN content in normozoospermic fertile and infertile men.Materials and Methods: Present study was approved by the institutional review board of Biology Department, Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz. Semen samples were collected from fertile (n=15) and infertile men (n=15) with normal sperm parameters according to the World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines. Real-time PCR was carried out to evaluate relative expression of PTEN mRNA in ejaculated sperm.Results: Sperm motility was significantly (p<0.05) lower in men with unexplained infertility compared with control group. Content of PTEN transcript in ejaculated sperm was significantly (p<0.05) higher in infertile men than fertile control. Also, significant negative correlation (r=-0.408, p=0.025) was seen between PTEN transcript content and sperm motility.Conclusion: This study suggests that assessment of PTEN sperm content transcript has significant predictive value as a complementary diagnostic tool in evaluation of fertility in normozoospermic infertile men.

Keywords:

Unexplained male infertility , Normozoospermia , Sperm Transcriptome , PTEN