Detection of monocyte chemotactic and activating factor (MCAF) and interleukin (IL)-6 in human seminal plasma and effect of leukospermia on these cytokine levels.

PROBLEM: To demonstrate whether monocyte chemotactic and activating factor (MCAF) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) are present in the seminal plasma, and whether these presence is modulated by leukospermia. METHODS: Semen samples from 53 men were obtained by masturbation and examined for the presence of MCAF and IL-6 by enzyme immunoassay (EIA). Semen samples were obtained from 28 infertile men without leukospermia, 16 infertile men with leukospermia, and nine proven-fertile men. The correlation between the amount of MCAF in the seminal plasma with some spermiogram parameters and other cytokines such as IL-6 and IL-8 was statistically evaluated. RESULTS: Immunoreactive MCAF was detected in the seminal plasmas of all 53 subjects. The MCAF titer in the seminal plasma of patients with leukospermia (11.19 +/- 2.75 micrograms/l) was significantly higher than that in the seminal plasma of the patients without leukospermia (3.24 +/- 0.53 micrograms/l) and the fertile men (2.78 +/- 0.35 micrograms/l) (P < 0.001). The IL-6 titer in the seminal plasma of the patients with leukospermia (21.05 +/- 4.49 ng/l) was also significantly higher than that in the seminal plasma of the patients without leukospermia (8.77 +/- 1.92 ng/l) and the fertile men (6.94 +/- 1.27 ng/l) (P < 0.01). There was a high degree of correlation among the levels of MCAF, IL-6 and IL-8 in the seminal plasma. CONCLUSIONS: These findings demonstrated the presence of MCAF and IL-6 in the seminal plasma, and that the levels of these cytokines were elevated in the seminal plasma of the infertile patients with leukospermia.