Key result
Somatic ACE activity in the left spermatic vein did not differ significantly between infertile patients with varicocele (60.2 U/L) and fertile controls (56.5 U/L).
Why the study?
Does somatic ACE activity differ between infertile patients with varicocele and fertile controls, and does it correlate with spermatologic parameters?
Case-Control (n=42)
Does somatic ACE activity differ between infertile patients with varicocele and fertile controls, and does it correlate with spermatologic parameters?
Absolute Event Rate: 60.2% vs 56.5%
p-value: p=not significant
Somatic ACE activity does not appear to have a causative role in the pathophysiology of varicocele and varicocele-related infertility.
Null finding does not implicate somatic ACE in varicocele infertility; leaves open alternative mechanisms for prospective study.
The ACE is found as two isozymes in the body. A somatic isozyme found in blood and several other tissues, and a testis-specific isozyme found only in developing spermatids and mature sperm. In this study, we investigated the ACE activity in left spermatic vein blood samples of infertile patients with varicocele and its correlation to spermatologic parameters. The somatic ACE activities were determined in the peripheral and left spermatic vein blood samples from 31 infertile patients who underwent variococelectomy, and 11 fertile control subjects underwent left inguinal herniorraphy. The somatic ACE activity was measured by kinetic spectrophotometric assay. Semen analyses were performed according to WHO guidelines. The mean somatic ACE activities of peripheral and left spermatic veins of the varicocele group were 60.3 +/- 23.0 and 60.2 +/- 23.2 U/L, respectively. In control group, peripheral and left spermatic vein ACE activities were found as 56.8 +/- 17.1 and 56.5 +/- 15.5 U/L, respectively. There was no significant difference between the ACE activity in peripheral and left spermatic vein blood sample from the varicocele and control group. There was no statistically significant correlation between the spermatologic parameters and ACE activities in the spermatic and peripheral vein in both of varicocele and control groups. As a result, it may be suggested that the somatic ACE has no causative role in pathophysiology of varicocele and varicocele related infertility.
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Sarıkaya et al. (2006) conducted a case-control in Varicocele and infertility (n=42). Varicocele vs. Fertile controls was evaluated on Somatic ACE activity in left spermatic vein blood samples (U/L) (p=not significant). Somatic ACE activity in the left spermatic vein did not differ significantly between infertile patients with varicocele (60.2 U/L) and fertile controls (56.5 U/L).
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