Validation of a panel of protein biomarkers in seminal plasma of adolescents with and without varicocele

• Grant number: 14/11636-6
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
• Start date: October 01, 2014
• End date: April 30, 2016
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Medicine
• Agreement: Coordination of Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (CAPES)
• Principal Investigator: Agnaldo Pereira Cedenho
• Grantee: Larissa Berloffa Belardin
• Host Institution: Escola Paulista de Medicina (EPM). Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP). Campus São Paulo. São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The varicocele, main cause of male infertility, begins in puberty and causes progressive decline of fertility. It is defined as an abnormal dilation of internal spermatic veins of the pampiniform plexus with blood flow in the internal testicular veins. Despite many studies of this disease, the mechanisms that lead to the changes caused by it are not fully understood. Adolescents with varicocele may or may not present infertility in adulthood and various changes in the sperm are not observed by functional tests, for example, DNA fragmentation. Our research group showed differences in the expression of plasmatic proteins in adolescents with varicocele and seminal changes and no changes, so one of the ways to help in the diagnosis of the mechanisms involved in the varicocele is through the molecular studies of seminal plasma. In this context, in another study conducted by our research group, which used the same criteria for inclusion and exclusion of patients this project has identified proteins that are potential biomarkers for testicular dysfunction in seminal plasma of adolescents with varicocele. Thus, the confirmation of these proteins may help in early diagnosis and what is the best moment to intervene in these patients, because, proteins found in seminal plasma are associated with testicular function under different conditions. The goal of this project is to validate potential protein biomarkers related to seminal testicular dysfunction in adolescents with varicocele with and without seminal changes. For this, after centrifugation of the sample, we will use seminal plasma to validate the proteins by ELISA or Western blot. (AU)

Scientific publications

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

BELARDIN, LARISSA BERLOFFA; DEL GIUDICE, PAULA TONI; CAMARGO, MARIANA; INTASQUI, PAULA; ANTONIASSI, MARIANA PEREIRA; BERTOLLA, RICARDO PIMENTA; CEDENHO, AGNALDO PEREIRA. Alterations in the proliferative/apoptotic equilibrium in semen of adolescents with varicocele. JOURNAL OF ASSISTED REPRODUCTION AND GENETICS, v. 33, n. 12, p. 1657-1664, DEC 2016. (14/17185-6, 14/11636-6)

DEL GIUDICE, P. T.; BELARDIN, L. B.; CAMARGO, M.; ZYLBERSZTEJN, D. S.; CARVALHO, V. M.; CARDOZO, K. H. M.; BERTOLLA, R. P.; CEDENHO, A. P.. Determination of testicular function in adolescents with varicocoele - a proteomics approach. ANDROLOGY, v. 4, n. 3, p. 447-455, MAY 2016. (14/17185-6, 14/11636-6, 12/15039-7)