Seminal Tumour necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand and its relationship to infertility in Egyptian patients with varicocele

Exploring the dynamic role of circulating soluble tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) as a diagnostic and prognostic marker; a review

Tumor necrosis factor (TNF) related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) is a TNF superfamily cytokine primarily acknowledged for its ability to selectively induce apoptosis in cancer cells. Beyond its antitumor effects, recent literature emphasizes the pleiotropic functions of TRAIL in physiological states and acute/chronic non-malignant diseases indicating its potential to be a breakthrough in diagnostics. This review explores the current understanding of the dynamic role of circulating soluble TRAIL (sTRAIL) and its potential as both a diagnostic and prognostic marker. Multiple in vitro, in vivo, and clinical studies in a wide range of neoplastic and non-neoplastic diseases including infectious diseases have been carried out to explore the potential role of sTRAIL in disease pathogenesis and as well as the possibilities of using it as a diagnostic and prognostic marker. The expression of sTRAIL seems to be context-dependent suggesting further research, particularly towards establishing disease-specific cutoff values. However, the lack of standardization in the serum sTRAIL estimation and the absence of reference intervals remain significant barriers to its clinical application. Addressing these challenges is essential for using circulating sTRAIL as an accurate diagnostic and prognostic marker in clinical practice.

Immune regulatory cytokines in seminal plasma of healthy men: A scoping review and analysis of variance

OBJECTIVE

Seminal plasma cytokines are associated with fertility and reproductive health, but progressing their clinical utility is hampered by absence of reference data on concentration ranges of relevant cytokines in healthy men. We employed a systematic approach to assemble current evidence on the concentrations of immune regulatory cytokines present in seminal plasma (SP) of normozoospermic and/or fertile men and evaluated the impact of different platform methodologies for cytokine quantification.

EVIDENCE REVIEW

A systematic literature search was performed utilising PubMed, Web of Science and Scopus. Databases were searched from inception until 30th June 2022 inclusive, using combinations of keywords pertaining to seminal fluid and cytokines, and was restricted to human participants. Original data with values reported as concentration of specific cytokines in SP of men clearly defined as fertile or normozoospermic were extracted from studies written in English.

RESULTS

A total of 3769 publications were initially identified, of which 118 fulfilled the eligibility criteria for inclusion. A total of 51 individual cytokines are detectable in SP of healthy men. The number of studies reporting on each cytokine range from 1 to >20. The reported concentrations for many cytokines linked with fertility status, including IL6, CXCL8/IL8, and TNFA, are highly variable between published studies. This is associated with the different immunoassay methodologies utilised and may be exacerbated by a lack of validation of assays to ensure suitability for SP assessment. Due to the large variation between studies, accurate reference ranges for healthy men cannot be determined from the published data.

CONCLUSIONS

The concentrations of cytokines and chemokines detected in SP is inconsistent and highly variable between studies and cohorts, limiting current capacity to define reference ranges for cytokine concentrations in fertile men. The lack of standardisation in methods used to process and store SP, and variation in platforms used to evaluate cytokine abundance, are factors contributing to the observed heterogeneity. To progress the clinical utility of SP cytokine analysis will require standardisation and validation of methodologies so that reference ranges for healthy fertile men can be defined.

Seminal SIRT1 expression in infertile oligoasthenoteratozoospermic men with varicocoele

In a case-controlled study, we assessed the expressed seminal NAD-dependent protein deacetylase (SIRT1) expression in infertile oligoasthenoteratozoospermic (OAT) men associated with varicocoele. Our study involved 81 men, recruited from the University hospitals, after ethical approval and informed consent. They were allocated into fertile normozoospermic men (n = 23), infertile OAT men without varicocoele (n = 23) and infertile OAT men with varicocoele (n = 35). Inclusion criteria consisted of confirmation of abnormal semen parameters and normal female partners whereas exclusion criteria were leukocytospermia, tobacco smoking, hormonal therapy, immunological disorders, dyslipidemia, hypogonadism, cardiovascular disorders, morbid obesity, and hepatic or renal failures. All participants had an interview to assess clinical history, clinical examination, semen analysis, and estimation of seminal SIRT1 expression. Seminal SIRT1 expression was significantly lower in infertile OAT men than fertile men. Among infertile OAT men, seminal SIRT1 expression was significantly lower in those with varicocoele than in those without. Additionally, seminal SIRT1 expression was significantly lower in varicocoele grade III cases compared with other grades. Seminal SIRT1 expression was positively correlated with sperm concentration (r = 0.327, p = 0.001), total sperm motility (r = 0.532, p = 0.001), and sperm normal forms (r = 0.469, p = 0.001). Our results suggest that seminal SIRT1 expression has a role of male infertility being significantly decreased in infertile OAT men in general and in infertile OAT men associated with varicocoele in particular.