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Insulin-like Peptide-6 Levels in Non-obstructive Azoospermia
Kemal Gumus1, Mehmet Demir2, Ismail Dag3
1Department of Urology, Balikligol Government Hospital, Sanliurfa, Turkey.
Objective:
To investigate the serum versus insulin-like peptide-6 (INSL-6) levels in men with non-obstructive azoospermia (NOA) and normospermia.
Study Design:
Descriptive study.
Place And Duration Of Study:
Department of Urology, Balikligol State Hospital and Harran University, Sanliurfa, Turkey, between July and October 2020.
Methodology:
The serum and seminal levels of INSL-6 were measured in men with NOA, and normospermia using a commercially available enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Age, body mass index (BMI), hormone profile, testicular volumes and seminal and serum INSL-6 levels were compared between the study groups.
Results:
In total, 80 men were included in the study, 40 of whom have NOA and 40 have normospermia. No significant difference was found in the mean age and BMI between the groups (p >0.05). Seminal INSL-6 levels were higher in the normospermia group, although serum and seminal INSL-6 levels were not significantly different in this group (p >0.05). No significant correlation was observed between serum INSL-6 levels and age, BMI,testosterone, follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH), and varicocele presence (p >0.05). No significant association was found between seminal INSL-6 levels and age, BMI, FSH, LH, and testosterone levels (p >0.05). However, a significant negative association observed between seminal INSL-6 levels and testicular volume (p <0.05).
Conclusion:
The seminal INSL-6 levels were approximately 5.5 times higher than the serum INSL-6 levels and survival level of INSL-6 were higher in the normospermia. This suggests that INSL-6 plays an active role in the male reproductive system. However, the mechanism and extent of this effect remain to be elucidated.
Key Words:
Infertility, Non-obstructive azoospermia, Insulin-like peptide-6.
