Resistin correlates with elastase and interleukin-6 in human seminal plasma

The aim of this study was to evaluate whether the adipocytokine resistin correlates with markers of inflammation such as elastase and interleukin-6 (IL-6) in human seminal plasma and with semen sample quality. Fifty-four non-obese infertility patients without clinical symptoms of genital tract inflammation and 18 patients after vasectomy were investigated with regard to the classical spermiogram parameters (sperm concentration, motility and morphology) and concentrations of resistin, elastase and interleukin-6 in the seminal plasma. Resistin was demonstrated for the first time in human seminal plasma. It was present at a median concentration of 1.62 ng/ml together with IL-6 (12.0 pg/ml) and elastase (16.7 ng/ml). There were no significant differences between the resistin concentration in the semen samples with normal spermiogram parameters and those with subnormal spermiogram parameters. Vasectomy did not significantly reduce the total amount of resistin in the semen samples. The concentrations of resistin correlated well with the inflammatory markers elastase (R = 0.86; P = 0.00001) and IL-6 (R = 0.71; P < 0.01) in seminal plasma, but not with semen sample quality. In addition, no significant relationship between resistin in semen and the serum hormones FSH, inhibin B, testosterone and serum resistin or body mass index were observed.