• PMID: 7928663
• Gene Name: IL1B
• Condition: Male infertility
• Association: These findings suggest that IL-6 is associated with infertility and may be of importance in specific diagnosis and treatment of male infertility.
• Population size: 25
• Population details: 26 (15 infertile men, 10 fertile men)
• Sex: Male
• Infertility type: Male infertility
• Associated genes: TNF-alpha, IFN-gamma, IL-1 beta, IL-7
• Other associated phenotypes: Male infertility

Increased levels of interleukin-6 in seminal plasma of infertile men

Naz RK, Kaplan P.

The presence of various cytokines, namely the tumor necrosis factor (TNF-alpha), interferon (IFN-gamma), and interleukins (IL-1 beta and IL-6), was investigated in seminal plasma of fertile, infertile, and immunoinfertile men using specific immunoradiometric assays. TNF-alpha and IL-1 beta were not detected. IFN-gamma was detected, but the differences between the levels of fertile and infertile/immunoinfertile were not significant (P > 0.05). IL-6 was detected in seminal plasma with significantly higher levels in infertile/immunoinfertile men compared to those of fertile men. IL-6 was also present in sera, and interestingly, the levels in sera were lower than those in seminal plasma. IL-6 levels in seminal plasma correlated significantly with some sperm parameters and penetration rates in the human sperm penetration assay (SPA). These findings suggest that IL-6 is associated with infertility and may be of importance in specific diagnosis and treatment of male infertility. FAU - Naz, R K AU - Naz RK AD - Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York 10461.