Association of Lipid Peroxidation/Antioxidant System Activity with Glutathione S-Transferase P1 Polymorphisms in Infertile Men

The purpose of this study was to assess the association of two polymorphic loci Ile105Val/Ala114Val of the GSTP1 gene with the parameters of oxidative stress (OS) in men with infertility. We retrospectively analyzed the results of a survey of 222 men (mean age of 29.9 +/- 5.3 years) of infertile couples. A control group of 104 men (30.2 +/- 3.6 years) was formed, consisting of healthy men with realized reproductive function. An analysis of the frequency with which the Ile1051Val polymorphism of the GSTP1 gene occurred in men with infertility and in fertile men found statistically significant differences (chi(2)=7.487; P=0.024). When comparing the frequency distribution of the genotypes of the Ala114Val polymorphism of the GSTP1 gene in infertile men and fertile patients, no significant differences were found between the groups (chi(2)=3.823; P=0.14). In men with infertility, carriers of the heterozygous genotype of the GSTP1 Ile105Val polymorphism presented an increase in reduced glutathione activity by 7% (P=0.0004), a decrease in glutathione reductase activity by 20% (P=0.03) in serum, and a decrease in SOD activity by 8% (P=0.01) in the ejaculate, unlike fertile men with heterozygous polymorphism, who had an increase in the total antioxidant activity of the blood serum by 20% (P=0.0001) and a decrease in glutathione peroxidase activity by 24% (P=0.03) in the ejaculate. In men with infertility, carriers of the heterozygous genotype of the GSTP1 Ala114Val polymorphism presented a decrease in a-tocopherol concentration by 15% (P=0.002), an increase in glutathione peroxidase activity by 25% (P=0.0004) in the blood and a decrease in SOD activity by 7% (P=0.01) in the ejaculate, unlike fertile men with heterozygous polymorphism, who had an increase in the concentration of serum conjugated dienes by 19% (P=0.0001) and a decrease in glutathione-S-transferase activity by 32% (P=0.03) in the ejaculate. Carrier identification of the GSTP1 Ile105Val and Ala114Val polymorphic loci, as well as the determination of the enzymes of the thiol-disulfide system, can be recommended for an additional assessment of the risk of developing reproductive disorders in men.