The investigation of ion channel expressions in semen samples of human infertile male cases

Background: Sperm ion channels play an important role in the process of fertilization, the control of sperm motility, chemotaxis toward the egg and the acrosome reaction. The male infertility of mice and humans arise from mutation or absence of some ion channels. It is rarely reported the ion channel expression in infertile patients with abnormal sperm parameters. Present study aim to compare the expression profiles of ion channel in the spermatozoa of normozoospermic and the spermatozoa of subjects with sperm disorders. Methods: Study enrolled hundred fifty subjects. Five numerically equal groups were include the normozoospermic, oligozoospermic, asthenozoospermic, teratozoospermic and oligoasthenoteratozoospermic. We evaluated the mRNA levels of nineteen ion channel genes involved in Ca+2, K+, Cl-, GABA and acytcoline using quantitative real time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Result(s): We have statistically significant the higher expression of CACNA1B, CACNA1H, TRPC1, TRPC3, CHRNA3, CHRNA5, CHRNAB4 genes in oligospermic patients, CACNA1H, TRPC3 and CHRNA5 genes in the astenozoospermic group, TRPC1, CHRNA3, CHRNA5 and CHRNB4 in the teratospermic group, CACNA1E, CACNA1H, CHRNA3, CHRNA5, CHRNA9, CLCN3, TRPC3 and TRPC6 genes in oligoasthenoteratozoospermic group than control subjects. The statistically significantly lower expression was found CACNA1B, CACNA1G and CLCN3 genes in the astenospermic men and CACNA1G, CLNS1A, KCNA5 and KCNE1genes in teratospermic men compared with normozoospermic men. Conclusion(s): These results unambiguously accomplish an important role of ion channels in human sperm phsiology. Changes in ion flux caused of the upregulation or downregulation of ion channel expressions may be provide the possible contributies the male infertility by effecting the fundamental transduction elements in cell signaling involving in the regulation of sperm physiology at many different levels.