Investigation of the Expression Level of Autophagy Proteins in Infertile Men

Objective: Infertility nowadays affects 10–15% of couples in their reproductive age. Autophagy is a physiologic process responsible for the breakdown of cytoplasmic structures and organelles, and proteins that have lost functionality. In this study, it was aimed to compare the levels of autophagy expression in the spermatozoa of men who have infertility for different reasons. Methods: A total of 120 men were included in the study, and four groups were designed: men who have no infertility disorder and are healthy according to semen parameters (Group 1, control group), patients diagnosed with Grade 2 varicocele (Group 2), with orchitisepididymitis (Group 3), and with unexplained infertility (Group 4). Autophagy proteins (LC3A/B, Beclin-1, p62, ATG5, ATG12, and ATG16) were examined by western blot analysis. LC3A/B and Beclin-1 were also studied by immunohistochemistry. In addition, each patient group specimen was investigated ultrastructurally by Transmission Electron Microscopy. Results: Sperm parameters of the infertility groups decreased compared with the control group. Immunohistochemically, all autophagy proteins were increased in patient groups compared to the control group. Western blot analysis and ultrastructural studies also confirmed these data. Conclusion: These results showed that varicocele, orchitis-epididymitis, and unexplained infertility may cause impairment in the autophagy mechanism. The explanation of this mechanism can lead to the development of new treatment options.