Abstract
Varicocele has a common association with male infertility, but its exact role is still
debated. Apoptosis has been suggested as one of the mechanisms of varicocele-associated
infertility. Granulysin is a molecule that plays a role in apoptosis with no
previous study about its role in male infertility. This case-controlled
study aimed to
assess seminal plasma granulysin level in infertile patients with varicocele. This study
involved 90 men that were allocated into fertile normozoospermic men (n = 20), infertile
men without varicocele (n = 30) and infertile men with varicocele (n = 40).
These men were subjected to history taking, clinical examination, semen analysis and
estimation of seminal granulysin. In general, seminal granulysin level was significantly
elevated in infertile men compared with fertile men. Infertile men with varicocele
showed significantly higher seminal granulysin compared with infertile men without
varicocele, in bilateral varicocele cases and in grade III varicocele. Seminal granulysin
level was negatively correlated with sperm concentration, sperm motility, sperm normal
forms percentage and testicular volumes. It is concluded that increased seminal
granulysin has a negative impact on spermatogenesis in infertile men in general and
in infertile men associated with varicocele in particular.
K E Y W O R D S
apoptosis, granulysin, male infertility, semen, varicocele