Background & Objective: Male infertility which affects 10-15% of couples globally involves genetic, hormonal, inflammatory, and metabolic factors. Biochemical markers such as testosterone, FSH, LH, estradiol, IL-6, and PSA influence testicular function and sperm quality. The p53 gene, a tumor suppressor regulating apoptosis and DNA repair, has been linked to testicular dysfunction, sperm abnormalities, and reproductive cancer risk. This study was conducted with aim to investigate the association between biochemical markers and p53 gene expression in infertile males.Materials & Methods: This case-control study was conducted in 2022-2024 and recruited 150 infertile (cases) and 150 fertile males (controls) aged 25-45 years. Blood samples were analyzed for hormonal and inflammatory markers using ELISA, and p53 gene expression was assessed via Real-Time PCR. Statistical analyses (t-tests, ROC curves, quantile regression) were conducted using Stata 17.0, with significance set at P<0.05.Results: Among 300 participants (with mean age: 37.1±5.6 years), significant differences were observed in biochemical and hormonal markers (P<0.001). FSH, LH, testosterone, estradiol, PSA, IL-6, and p53 gene expression varied between the two groups. ROC analysis showed that FSH had the highest diagnostic accuracy (AUC=0.9615), while p53 gene expression had moderate discrimination ability (AUC=0.6943). Regression analysis indicated lower testosterone increased infertility risk, and IL-6 was a key predictor.Conclusion: FSH, testosterone, PSA, IL-6, and p53 gene expression significantly differed between infertile and fertile men. FSH had the highest diagnostic accuracy, IL-6 predicted infertility, low testosterone increased dysfunction risk, and elevated PSA suggested cancer risk, highlighting the role of hormonal and inflammatory markers in infertility and cancer assessment.
Krishnakumary et al. (Thu,) studied this question.