[Effect of (CAG) n polymorphism of androgen receptor gene on hormonal male contraception].
OBJECTIVE
To study (CAG) n polymorphism of the androgen receptor (AR) gene in responders and non-responders of male volunteers who received testosterone undecanoate intramuscular injection for contraception and to explore the effect of the polymorphism on hormonal male contraception.


METHODS
Twenty-nine non-responders and 34 responders were enrolled in this study as a test and a control group respectively. The numbers of CAG sequence repeats were determined by PCR and DNA sequencing, and the effect of (CAG) n polymorphism on hormonal male contraception was analyzed.


RESULTS
The means of CAG repeats of the test and the control group were 23.62 and 22.97, with no significant difference in between (P > 0.05). The short CAG repeats (n < or = 22) constituted 51.7% in the test group and 50% in the control, while the long ones (n > 22) accounted for 48.3% and 50% , respectively. The short and the long group had a similar distribution. No association was found between CAG repeats and sperm concentration. With FSH > 0.2 IU/L, the probability of azoospermia in the long CAG repeat group was 1.5 times that of the short one.


CONCLUSIONS
CAG repeats in the AR gene presented polymorphism in the subjects, with no significant difference between the responders and non-responders. Further investigation has yet to be performed into the relationship of hormonal male contraception with CAG repeats or other factors.
Li
Jing-Wen
JW
Peking Union Medical College Postgraduate School, Beijing 100730, China.
Yuan
Dong
D
Li
Hong
H
Liang
Xiao-Wei
XW
Lu
Wen-Hong
WH
Gu
Yi-Qun
YQ
D000328:Adult; D001483:Base Sequence; D003267:Contraception / Q000379:methods*; D005787:Gene Frequency; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D007273:Injections, Intramuscular; D008297:Male; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic; D011944:Receptors, Androgen / Q000235:genetics*; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D013739:Testosterone / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000031:analogs & derivatives; D018911:Trinucleotide Repeats / Q000235:genetics*
D011944:Receptors, Androgen; D013739:Testosterone; C010792:testosterone undecanoate