Metabolic syndrome represents a collection of cardiovascular risk factors, including
overweight, hypertension, dyslipidemia and impaired glucose metabolism, with insulin
resistance. In recent years, the potential relationship between metabolic syndrome
and male factor infertility has been studied. As endothelial dysfunction is the hallmark
of metabolic syndrome, the aim of this work was to assess serum levels of YKL-40
as
a marker of endothelial dysfunction in male patients with idiopathic infertility. The
study revealed that YKL-40
levels were elevated in patients than controls denoting
that endothelial dysfunction might play a role in the pathogenesis of idiopathic infertility
and that YKL-40
as a marker of endothelial dysfunction could be a useful marker of
idiopathic infertility.