RESUMEN

Soluble isoforms of the non-classical Human Leukocyte Antigen (HLA)-G as well as Transforming Growth Factor (TGF)-ß is expressed in seminal plasma possibly influencing the pregnancy potential. We wanted to examine the association of seminal plasma sHLA-G, TGF-ß1, TGF-ß2 and TGFß3 with pregnancy success in a cohort of 127 couples and 4 single women attending fertility treatment with the use of assisted reproduction technologies (ART). Soluble HLA-G, TGF-ß1, TGF-ß2 and TGF-ß3 in seminal plasma did not fluctuate significantly over time. We did not find any impact of seminal plasma sHLA-G, TGF-ß1, TGF-ß2 and TGF-ß3 on time-to-pregnancy measured as number of treatment cycles. There was a significant association between concentrations of seminal plasma sHLA-G and HLA-G variations in the 3'untranslated region (3'UTR) of the HLA-G gene, supporting and extending previous findings. Furthermore, by comparing seminal plasma concentrations of sHLA-G, TGF-ß1, TGF-ß2 and TGF-ß3 in male subjects with reduced semen quality, male subjects with normal semen quality, and sperm donors, we found that TGF-ß2 was significantly lower, and TGF-ß3 was significantly higher, in seminal plasma from sperm donors. These findings suggest that TGF-ß isoforms may influence semen quality and fertility.

Asunto(s)

Antígenos HLA-G/metabolismo , Infertilidad Masculina/inmunología , Semen/metabolismo , Factor de Crecimiento Transformador beta2/metabolismo , Factor de Crecimiento Transformador beta3/metabolismo , Regiones no Traducidas 3'/genética , Adulto , Estudios de Cohortes , Femenino , Antígenos HLA-G/análisis , Antígenos HLA-G/genética , Antígenos HLA-G/inmunología , Humanos , Infertilidad Masculina/terapia , Masculino , Persona de Mediana Edad , Polimorfismo Genético/inmunología , Embarazo , Regiones Promotoras Genéticas/genética , Isoformas de Proteínas/análisis , Isoformas de Proteínas/inmunología , Isoformas de Proteínas/metabolismo , Técnicas Reproductivas Asistidas , Semen/inmunología , Análisis de Semen , Donantes de Tejidos , Factor de Crecimiento Transformador beta1/análisis , Factor de Crecimiento Transformador beta1/inmunología , Factor de Crecimiento Transformador beta1/metabolismo , Factor de Crecimiento Transformador beta2/análisis , Factor de Crecimiento Transformador beta2/inmunología , Factor de Crecimiento Transformador beta3/análisis , Factor de Crecimiento Transformador beta3/inmunología , Adulto Joven