Study on the relationship between different cytokines in the semen of infertility patients

The relationship between different cytokines in the semen of infertility patients was investigated.

Fifty-seven semen samples were collected from infertility and normal group at Lianyungang Maternal and Child Hospital. Routine analysis including determination of the levels of IL-23, IL-6, and TNF-α was carried out.

Density, percentage of sperm moving forward, activity, survival rate, and proportion of normal morphology of sperm of normal group were significantly higher than those of infertility group (P<0.001). Amount and pH of the semen from the two groups showed no difference. However, there is a significant difference in IL-23 contents of semen in the normal (5.87 pg/mL) and abnormal (11.14 pg/mL) group (P<0.001). The correlation coefficients (R) of the contents of IL-23 to IL-6, IL-8, and TNF-α were 0.8706 (R(2)=0.758, P<0.001), 0.9725 (R(2)=0.9458, P<0.001), and 0.9499 (R(2)=0.9024, P<0.001), respectively.

IL-23 contents of semen are different in the normal and abnormal group and have positive correlations between IL-6, IL-8, and TNF-α, respectively.