Levels of IL-6 and Tumor Necrosis Factor-α in Seminal Fluid Spermatic Vein and Peripheral Blood of Patient with Varicocele

Human sperm contains a wide spectrum of cytokines; such as interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha). Their effects on semen quality are still under debate. This study aims at assessing possible association of these two cytokins with semen characteristics in patients with grade II-III varicocele. In this analytic-descriptive study، 30 male patients with grade II-III varicocele were recruited in Tabriz Sina Hospital within a 12-month period. Levels of IL-6 and TNF-alpha were measured in seminal plasma، spermatic vein sample and peripheral serum specimen. Correlations between these parameters and sperm count، motility and morphology were assessed. The mean levels of IL-6 were 23. 73±9. 02، 28. 73±11. 98 and 38. 20±13. 28 pg/mL in specimens from peripheral serum، spermatic vein and seminal plasma، respectively. The mean levels of TNF-alpha were 4. 78±1. 91، 5. 66±2. 95 and 6. 45±2. 55 pg/mL in specimens from peripheral serum، spermatic vein and seminal plasma، respectively. The mean seminal plasma IL-6 level was significantly higher in the cases with grade III varicocele. There were significant negative correlations between seminal plasma IL-6 and sperm count (r=-0. 46، P=0. 01) and motility (r=-0. 38، P=0. 04). There was no significant correlation between the spermatic vein and peripheral serum IL-6 or seminal plasma، spermatic vein and peripheral serum TNF-alpha with the spermatozoal parameters. Seminal plasma IL-6 is associated with worse spermatozoal parameters in seminal analysis of patients with grade II-III varicocele.