Soluble receptor for advanced glycation end products in male infertility

Soluble receptor of advanced glycation end-products (sRAGE) is widely expressed in various organs including male genital tract and spermatozoa. Their regulation depends on many simultaneous conditions that may occur. Male fertility is a multifactorial condition which is influenced by various parameters, some of which are detrimental to the spermatozoa. The aim of this study was to detect possible differences in sRAGE concentrations between serum and seminal plasma of infertile men, compared to fertile men population.

Seventy-five men were included in the study and divided into three groups: a group of fertile controls (age 34.8 ± 4.6 years, n =12) and two groups of men from infertile couples (age 36.1 ± 5.2 years) with normal (NS, n =10) and abnormal (AS, n =53) semen parameters, respectively. sRAGE was measured by ELISA in serum, and seminal plasma samples of all participants and biochemical, hormonal examinations, as well as anthropometric characteristics, were co-evaluated. Data were statistically analyzed using the chi-square test and the independent samples t-test. A two-tailed p <0.05 was considered significant.

Serum sRAGE levels of fertile men were higher than those of men of infertile couples with AS or NS semen parameters (2,061 ± 884 pg/ml vs 1,673 ± 613 pg/ml and 1,411 ± 405 pg/ml, respectively; p <0.058). Seminal plasma sRAGE levels in fertile men were similar to the ones measured in both groups of men from infertile couples AS and NS (327 ± 81 pg/ml vs 322 ± 162 - 413 ± 207 pg/ml; p =0.197). Interestingly, the seminal plasma sRAGE levels in those three groups were significantly lower than the corresponding serum sRAGE levels (p <0.001).

Serum and seminal plasma sRAGE concentrations seem to show variations worth considering between fertile and infertile men. Moreover, further research is required to elucidate the role of the sRAGEs and oxidative stress in male infertility. HIPPOKRATIA 2017, 21(1): 19-24.