Detection of interleukin-8 (IL-8) in seminal plasma and elevated IL-8 in seminal plasma of infertile patients with leukospermia.
OBJECTIVE
To determine if interleukin-8 (IL-8) is a normal constituent of seminal plasma and if leukospermia is a factor determining its elevation.


METHODS
Seminal plasma from 58 men obtained by masturbation was examined for the presence of IL-8 using an IL-8 specific sandwich ELISA. Semen samples were obtained from 34 infertile men without leukospermia, 10 infertile men with leukospermia, and 14 proven fertile men. The correlation of amount of IL-8 in seminal plasma with some spermiogram parameters and the amount of polymorphonuclear (PMN) elastase was statistically evaluated.


RESULTS
Immunoreactive IL-8 was observed in the seminal plasma of all 58 subjects. The IL-8 titer in seminal plasma of patients with leukospermia (6.16 +/- 0.82 micrograms/L) was significantly higher than that in seminal plasma of patients without leukospermia (2.35 +/- 0.34 micrograms/L) and fertile men (1.64 +/- 0.29 micrograms/L). There was a high degree of correlation between PMN elastase and IL-8 levels in seminal plasma.


CONCLUSIONS
These findings demonstrate IL-8 to be in seminal plasma and elevated IL-8 levels in infertile patients with leukospermia.
Shimoya
K
K
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Osaka University Medical School, Japan.
Matsuzaki
N
N
Tsutsui
T
T
Taniguchi
T
T
Saji
F
F
Tanizawa
O
O
D006801:Humans; D007248:Infertility, Male / Q000378:metabolism*; D016209:Interleukin-8 / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000097:blood*; D019272:Leukocyte Elastase; D007962:Leukocytes; D008297:Male; D010196:Pancreatic Elastase / Q000097:blood; D012661:Semen / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000166:cytology / Q000201:enzymology
D016209:Interleukin-8; D010196:Pancreatic Elastase; D019272:Leukocyte Elastase