ABSTRACT
Resistin is supposed to play a role in the infl ammatory process in humans under the stimulation of infl ammatory cytokines such as interleukin 6 (IL-6). Th erefore, it is of interest whether adipocytokine resistin also correlates with markers of infl ammation such as elastase and IL-6 in human seminal fl uid and with semen sample quality. Th erefore, non-obese infertility patients without clinical symptoms of genital tract infl ammation and post-vasectomy patients were investigated with regard to concentrations of resistin, elastase and IL-6 in the seminal fl uid and classical spermiogram parameters (sperm concentration, motility and morphology). Resistin expression in human seminal fl uid, in testicular tissue on Leydig cells and within tubuli seminiferi was detectable at a median concentration of 1.62 ng/ml together with IL-6 (12.0 pg/ml) and elastase (16.7 ng/ml). Th e concentrations of resistin correlated well with the infl ammatory markers elastase (r = 0.86; P < 0.01) and IL-6 (r = 0.71; P < 0.01) in seminal fl uid, but not with semen sample quality. Th ere were no signifi cant diff erences between the resistin concentration in the semen samples with normal spermiogram parameters and those with subnormal
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†Declaration: Th e authors report no fi nancial or commercial confl icts of interest.
