Original Article

Asian Journal of Andrology (2007) 9, 63–67; doi:10.1111/j.1745-7262.2007.00234.x

Assessment of seminal plasma laminin in fertile and infertile men

Mohamed R El-Dakhly1, Gamil A Tawadrous2, Taymour Mostafa1, Mohamed M F Roaia1, Abdel R M El-Nashar1, Shedeed A Shedeed1, Ihab I Kamel1, Amal A Aziz3 and Yasser El-Mohtaseb1

  1. 1Andrology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University, Cairo 12311, Egypt
  2. 2Medical Biochemistry Department, Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University, Cairo 12311, Egypt
  3. 3Clinical Pathology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University, Cairo 12311, Egypt

Correspondence: Dr Taymour Mostafa, Andrology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University, Cairo 12311, Egypt. E-mail: taymour1155@link.net

Received 20 April 2006; Accepted 15 August 2006.

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Abstract

Aim:

 

To assess laminin levels in the seminal plasma of infertile and fertile men, and to analyze the correlation of laminin levels with sperm count, age, sperm motility and semen volume.

Methods:

 

One hundred and twenty-five recruited men were equally divided into five groups according to their sperm concentration and clinical examination: fertile normozoospermia, oligoasthenozoospermia, non-obstructive azoospermia (NOA), obstructive azoospermia (OA) and congenital bilateral absent vas deferens (CBAVD). The patients' medical history was investigated and patients underwent clinical examination, conventional semen analysis and estimation of seminal plasma laminin by radioimmunoassay.

Results:

 

Seminal plasma laminin levels of successive groups were: 2.82 plusminus 0.62, 2.49 plusminus 0.44, 1.77 plusminus 0.56, 1.72 plusminus 0.76, 1.35 plusminus 0.63 U/mL, respectively. The fertile normozoospermic group showed the highest concentration compared to all infertile groups with significant differences compared to azoospermic groups (P < 0.05). Testicular contribution was estimated to be approximately one-third of the seminal laminin. Seminal plasma laminin demonstrated significant correlation with sperm concentration (r = 0.460, P < 0.001) and nonsignificant correlation with age (r = 0.021, P = 0.940), sperm motility percentage (r = 0.142, P = 0.615) and semen volume (r = 0.035, P = 0.087).

Conclusion:

 

Seminal plasma laminin is derived mostly from prostatic and testicular portions and minimally from the seminal vesicle and vas deferens. Estimating seminal laminin alone is not conclusive in diagnosing different cases of male infertility.

Keywords:

male infertility, semen, seminal plasma, testis, basement membrane, laminin, azoospermia, congenital bilateral absent vas deferens

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