Seminal plasma TEX101 protein as a spermatogenesis biomarker in male infertility.

Male infertility may be results from reduced sperm production, or oligozoospermia and azoospermia. Testis-expressed 101 (TEX101) is a glycoprotein that is associated with male fertility, and the disruption of TEX101 results in abnormal semen parameters and sperm function. A case-control study was done to measure seminal plasma TEX101 in 184 volunteers by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Significant differences in the mean of TEX101 values were estimated between fertile men (9.64 ng/ml, N= 40), normozoospermic infertile men (8.57 ng/ml, N= 28), and infertile men with oligospermia (5.35 ng/ml, N= 76), and azoospermia (3.19 ng/ml, N= 40). Significant differences between the mean of TEX101 values were estimated in azoospermic infertile men according to the presence of spermatids as no-spermatid (0.66 ng/ml, N=12), few spermatids (3.05 ng/ml, N=16), and moderate spermatids (5.88 ng/ml, N=12). In addition, a significant correlation in oligozoospermia infertile men was found between TEX101 with seminogram. Clinical assay for TEX101 has the potential to diagnose male infertility. And as a biomarker for the seminal fluid quality and as a differential diagnosis of non-obstructive azoospermia.