Molecular Mechanisms and Genes involved in Infertile Men with Varicocele: A Systematic Review

One of the most common causes of male infertility is Varicocele abnormality. Men with a family history of varicocele are at higher risk for these disorders. As a result, genetic and molecular factors may play an important role in the pathogenesis of varicocele associated with infertility. Therefore, this review study was performed with aim to investigate the role of candidate genes and their molecular mechanisms and the role of genetics in the development or exacerbation of varicocele.

In this review article, to find the related studies, the Latin (PubMed, Google Scholar) and Persian (SID and Magiran) databases were searched without time limitation in a period of 4 years using the keywords of "Varicocele, Male Infertility and Gene".

Mutations or polymorphisms of probable candidate genes including GST, TNP1,2, hoGG1, NOS3, MTHFR ACP1, P53 and POLG have different effects on sperm, spermatogenesis and varicocele in general.

So far, several genes have been investigated as possible candidates for the occurrence and progression of varicocele in different populations of the world, each of which has shown various effects on the pathophysiology of varicocele. Therefore, the correctness or wrongness of the hypothesis (the effect of genetics on varicocele) is still unclear due to the lack of coordination of evidence.