Tumor Necrosis Factor-α Gene Polymorphism Relationship to Seminal Variables in Infertile Men

OBJECTIVE To assess the tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha gene polymorphism relationship with seminal variables in fertile men (N) and those with asthenozoospermia (A), asthenoteratozoospermia (AT), and oligoasthenoteratozoospermia (OAT). MATERIALS AND METHODS A total of 50 infertile men without a female factor who were attending a fertility clinic and 48 fertile men were randomly screened for semen analysis, analysis of the TNF-alpha promoter region for polymorphism, seminal caspase-9, acrosin activity, alpha-glucosidase, and reproductive hormones. RESULTS The TNF-alpha GG genotype was present in 83.9%, 72.7%, 66.7%, and 59.5%, the TNF-alpha AA genotype in 3.2%, 6.8%, 10.4%, and 11.9%, and TNF-alpha AG genotype in 12.9%, 20.5%, 22.9%, and 28.6% in the N, A, AT, OAT groups, respectively. The occurrence of A allele was significantly greater among infertile patients than among fertile controls (21.6% vs 9.7%; odds ratio 0.388, 95% confidence interval 0.2 to 0.75, P = .005). Men with the TNF-alpha AA genotype demonstrated a significant decrease in the sperm count, sperm motility, normal sperm morphology, acrosin activity, and seminal alpha-glucosidase and a significant increase in seminal caspase-9 compared with those with the TNF-alpha GG genotype. CONCLUSION This single nucleotide polymorphism in the TNF-alpha(-308) gene was associated with significantly increased seminal caspase-9 and a significantly decreased sperm count, sperm motility, normal sperm morphology, acrosin activity, and seminal alpha-glucosidase. UROLOGY 81: 962-966, 2013. (C) 2013 Elsevier Inc.