Beta-endorphin in serum and seminal plasma in infertile men.
OBJECTIVE
To access beta-endorphin levels in serum as well as seminal plasma in different infertile male groups.


METHODS
Beta-endorphin was estimated in the serum and seminal plasma by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) method in 80 infertile men equally divided into four groups: non-obstructive azoospermia (NOA), obstructive azoospermia (OA), congenital bilateral absent vas deferens (CBVAD) and asthenozoospermia. The results were compared to those of 20 normozoospermic proven fertile men.


RESULTS
There was a decrease in the mean levels of beta-endorphin in the seminal plasma of all successive infertile groups (mean +/- SD: NOA 51.30 +/- 27.37, OA 51.88 +/- 9.47, CBAVD 20.36 +/- 13.39, asthenozoospermia 49.26 +/- 12.49 pg/mL, respectively) compared to the normozoospermic fertile control (87.23 +/- 29.55 pg/mL). This relation was not present in mean serum level of beta-endorphin between four infertile groups (51.09 +/- 14.71, 49.76 +/- 12.4, 33.96 +/- 7.2, 69.1 +/- 16.57 pg/mL, respectively) and the fertile control group (49.26 +/- 31.32 pg/mL). The CBVAD group showed the lowest seminal plasma mean level of beta-endorphin. Testicular contribution of seminal beta-endorphin was estimated to be approximately 40%. Seminal beta-endorphin showed significant correlation with the sperm concentration (r = 0.699, P = 0.0188) and nonsignificant correlation with its serum level (r = 0.375, P = 0.185) or with the sperm motility percentage (r = 0.470, P = 0.899).


CONCLUSIONS
The estimation of beta-endorphin alone is not conclusive to evaluate male reproduction as there are many other opiates acting at the hypothalamic pituitary gonadal axis.
El-Haggar
Shawky
S
Andrology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University, Cairo 12311, Egypt.
El-Ashmawy
Salah
S
Attia
Ahmed
A
Mostafa
Taymour
T
Roaiah
M M Farid
MM
Fayez
Ashraf
A
Ghazi
Sherif
S
Zohdy
Wael
W
Roshdy
Nagwa
N
D053627:Asthenozoospermia / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism; D053713:Azoospermia / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D006801:Humans; D007248:Infertility, Male / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012661:Semen / Q000737:chemistry*; D014649:Vas Deferens / Q000002:abnormalities; D001615:beta-Endorphin / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism*
D001615:beta-Endorphin