Polymorphisms of Estrogen Receptors Alpha and Beta in Idiopathic, Infertile Brazilian Men: A Case-Control Study

Author(s)

Bianco, Bianca ^[1] ; Peluso, Carla ^[1] ; Gava, Marcello Machado ^{[1, 2]} ; Ghirelli-Filho, Milton ^{[1, 2]} ; Nunes Lipay, Monica Vannucci ^{[3, 4]} ; Lipay, Marco Aurelio ^[5] ; Christofolini, Denise Maria ^[1] ; Barbosa, Caio Parente ^[1]

Affiliation

^[1] Fac Med ABC, Dept Gynecol & Obstet, Div Human Reprod & Genet, Santo Andre, SP - Brazil

^[2] Fac Med ABC, Dept Surg, Div Urol, Santo Andre, SP - Brazil

^[3] Univ Fed Sao Paulo, Dept Med, Div Endocrinol, Sao Paulo - Brazil

^[4] Fac Med Jundiai, Dept Morphol & Basic Pathol, Div Genet, Jundiai, SP - Brazil

^[5] Santa Helena Hosp, Dept Surg, Div Urol, Sao Paulo - Brazil

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: Molecular Reproduction and Development; v. 78, n. 9, p. 665-672, SEP 2011.
• Web of Science Citations: 6

Abstract

Estrogen plays an important role in the human reproductive system and its action is mediatedmainly by two specific receptors: alpha(ER alpha) and beta(ER beta). There are polymorphic variants in both ER genes, and studies showed their association with reproductive outcomes. We aimed to determine the distribution of ER alpha and ER beta gene polymorphisms in idiopathic, infertile Brazilian patients in a case-control study comprising 187 idiopathic, infertile Brazilian men with nonobstructive azoospermia (NOA, n = 78) or severe oligozoospermia(SO, n 109) and 216 fertile men. Detection of ER alpha (PvuII and XbaI) and ER beta (AluI and RsaI) gene polymorphisms were performed using TaqMan PCR. The results were analyzed statically, and a P-value < 0.05 was considered significant. Single-marker analysis revealed that neither PvuII nor XbaI polymorphisms of the ER alpha gene were associated either with NOA group (P = 0.662 and P = 0.527, respectively) or SO group (P = 0.777 and P = 1.0, respectively). Regarding ER beta polymorphisms, no statistical difference was observed between the AluI polymorphism and NOA group compared to controls (P 1.0) or between SO group and controls (P = 0.423). We found similar results with the RsaI polymorphism. Statistical analysis did not reveal a difference between NOA (P = 0.740) and SO (P = 0.920) groups compared to controls. Combined genotypes of ER alpha and ER beta polymorphisms did not identify a haplotype associated with idiopathic infertility. Thus, in the Brazilian population, genetic variations in both estrogen receptors alpha (PvuII and XbaI) and beta (AluI and RsaI) were not relevant to idiopathic infertility. Mol. Reprod. Dev. 78: 665-672, 2011. (C) 2011 Wiley-Liss, Inc. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 10/12568-3 - EVALUATION OF THE FREQUENCY OF ER‘ And ER’ POLYMORPHISMS AS RISK FACTOR FOR IDIOPATHIC MALE INFERTILITY
• Grantee: Caio Parente Barbosa
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants