Genotype and phenotype frequencies of paraoxonase 1 in fertile and infertile men

Abstract

Paraoxonase1 (PON1) is a glycoprotein associated with high density lipoprotein and has antioxidant activity. The impact of PON1 in various stages of spermatogenesis has also been suggested. This study was aimed to investigate frequencies of phenotypes and Q192R genotypes of PON1 in fertile and infertile males. Q192R variants of PON1 were determined in 150 fertile and 150 infertile men using the polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) technique. Plasma arylesterase and paraoxonase activities were detected by spectrophotometry and malondialdehyde (MDA) level was measured using thiobarbituric acid. Our results showed no significant difference in the distribution of PON1 genotypes and alleles between fertile and infertile groups. However morphology and motility of sperm were associated with various genotypes of PON1. The number of fertile males with the BB phenotype (high activity) was significantly higher than that of infertile males, whereas the number of individuals with the AB phenotype (moderate activity) was statistically higher in infertile men compared with the fertile group. Additionally, MDA and arylesterase activity levels were significantly higher in infertile subjects compared with fertile men. We speculate that the low activity of PON1 can be a risk factor for male infertility probably due to a decrease in antioxidant activity of PON1 and increase in lipid peroxidation.

Oxidative stress and phenotype frequencies of paraoxonase‐1 in teratozoospermia

“…In the Iranian study (Tavilani et al, ), infertile males had higher AB phenotypes than fertile males. In our study including infertile men with isolated teratozoospermia in Turkish subjects, we found an elevation of the AA phenotype.…”

Expression of paraoxonase types 1, 2 and 3 in reproductive tissues and activity of paraoxonase type 1 in the serum and seminal plasma of bulls

“…The PON1 is involved in male reproductive functions, as it was identified in sperm lineage cells, Sertoli cells and Leydig cells of rats and humans (Marsillach et al, 2008(Marsillach et al, , 2011. Low activity of PON1 was observed in the seminal plasma of infertile or subfertile men (Lazaros et al, 2011;Tavilani et al, 2014;Verit, Verit, Ciftci, Erel, & Çelik, 2009) and in ejaculates of azoospermic men (Gulum et al, 2016). In boars, activity of PON1 was determined in the seminal plasma , and its antioxidant activity was related to subsequent fertility in vivo .…”

Involvement of homocysteine, homocysteine thiolactone, and paraoxonase type 1 (PON‐1) in the etiology of defective human sperm function

“…This enzyme hydrolyzes the toxic oxon metabolites of organophosphorus insecticides, nerve agents, such as sarin and soman, aromatic esters, as well as a variety of aromatic and aliphatic lactones including homocysteine thiolactone (Yilmaz, ). There is some preliminary evidence to suggest that paraoxonase activity is involved in the etiology of male infertility (Tavilani et al ., ); low levels of enzyme activity being associated with an infertility phenotype and evidence of oxidative stress characterized by the high circulating levels of another lipid aldehyde, malondialdehyde. In a recent Chinese study focusing on the levels of PON‐1 activity in seminal plasma, low levels of PON‐1 were associated with impaired viability and motility as well as poor sperm morphology (Gong et al ., ).…”