Tumor Necrosis Factor Alpha -308 G/A Single Nucleotide Polymorphism and Risk of Sperm Abnormalities in Iranian Males

Objective Signaling molecules such as cytokines regulate spermatogenesis during the maturation of germ cells and apoptosis. Tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) is one of the most-documented cytokines that supports spermatogenesis. We investigated the association of TNFα -308 Single Nucleotide Polymorphism with sperm abnormalities in Iranian population. MaterialsAndMethods This case control study includes 180 infertile men who referred to Yazd Research and clinical center for infertility and 100 healthy controls. Infertile men were classified into four groups, Azoospermia (n=91), oligospermia (n=26), teratospermia (n=30) and asthenoteratospermia (n=33). After Sperm analysis, DNA was extracted and Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphic-Polymerase Chain Reaction (RFLP-PCR) was carried out for the genotyping of TNF alpha -308 polymorphism. Results Our data show that the A allele are significantly associated with sperm abnormality in our population (P=0.00, OR=2.31). According to our study, A allele are associated with Azoospermia (P=0.00, OR=2.484), Oligospermia (P=0.005, OR=2.51), and Teratospemia (P=0.00, OR=3.385).There is no significant association between this polymorphism and asthenoteratospermia (P=0.623). Conclusion Our data suggest that the polymorphism might be associated with the risk of sperm abnormality in Iranian infertile men. It can be used as an infertility marker for screening as well as further treatment.