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Folate and vitamin B-12 in idiopathic male infertility

Murphy, Laurel E. ; Mills, James L. ; Molloy, Anne M. ; Qian, Cong ; Carter, Tonia C. ; Strevens, Helena LU ; Wide-Swensson, Dag LU ; Giwercman, Aleksander LU and Levine, Richard J. (2011) In Asian Journal of Andrology 13(6). p.856-861
Abstract
Although methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase, a folate enzyme gene, has been associated with idiopathic male infertility, few studies have examined other folate-related metabolites and genes. We investigated whether idiopathic male infertility is associated with variants in folate, vitamin B-12 (B12) and total homocysteine (tHcy)-related genes and measured these metabolites in blood. We conducted a case-control study that included 153 men with idiopathic infertility and 184 fertile male controls recruited at the Fertility Center and Antenatal Care Center, University Hospital, Malmo and Lund, Sweden. Serum folate, red cell folate (RCF), serum B12, plasma tHcy and semen quality were measured. Subjects were genotyped for 20 common variants in... (More)
Although methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase, a folate enzyme gene, has been associated with idiopathic male infertility, few studies have examined other folate-related metabolites and genes. We investigated whether idiopathic male infertility is associated with variants in folate, vitamin B-12 (B12) and total homocysteine (tHcy)-related genes and measured these metabolites in blood. We conducted a case-control study that included 153 men with idiopathic infertility and 184 fertile male controls recruited at the Fertility Center and Antenatal Care Center, University Hospital, Malmo and Lund, Sweden. Serum folate, red cell folate (RCF), serum B12, plasma tHcy and semen quality were measured. Subjects were genotyped for 20 common variants in 12 genes related to folate/B12/homocysteine metabolism. Metabolite concentrations and genotype distributions were compared between cases and controls using linear and logistic regression with adjustment for covariates. The phosphatidylethanolamine N-methyltransferase (PEMT) M175V and TCblR rs173665 polymorphisms were significantly associated with infertility (P=0.01 and P=0.009, respectively), but not with semen quality. Among non-users of supplements, infertile men had lower serum folate concentrations than fertile men (12.89 vs. 14.73 nmol l(-1); P=0.02), but there were no significant differences in RCF, B12 or tHcy. Folate, B12 and tHcy concentrations were not correlated with any semen parameters. This study provides little support for low folate or B12 status in the pathogenesis of idiopathic male infertility. Although additional data are needed to confirm these initial findings, our results suggest that PEMT and TCblR, genes involved in choline and B12 metabolism, merit further investigation in idiopathic male infertility. Asian Journal of Andrology (2011) 13, 856-861; doi: 10.1038/aja.2011.96; published online 22 August 2011 (Less)
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author
; ; ; ; ; ; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
folate, idiopathic male infertility, semen quality, vitamin B-12
in
Asian Journal of Andrology
volume
13
issue
6
pages
856 - 861
publisher
Nature Publishing Group
external identifiers
  • wos:000296752900021
  • scopus:80755181124
  • pmid:21857689
ISSN
1008-682X
DOI
10.1038/aja.2011.96
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
59562789-d8de-43ec-a6b2-5f087796e86e (old id 2253553)
date added to LUP
2016-04-01 10:18:32
date last changed
2022-01-25 22:01:43
@article{59562789-d8de-43ec-a6b2-5f087796e86e,
  abstract     = {{Although methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase, a folate enzyme gene, has been associated with idiopathic male infertility, few studies have examined other folate-related metabolites and genes. We investigated whether idiopathic male infertility is associated with variants in folate, vitamin B-12 (B12) and total homocysteine (tHcy)-related genes and measured these metabolites in blood. We conducted a case-control study that included 153 men with idiopathic infertility and 184 fertile male controls recruited at the Fertility Center and Antenatal Care Center, University Hospital, Malmo and Lund, Sweden. Serum folate, red cell folate (RCF), serum B12, plasma tHcy and semen quality were measured. Subjects were genotyped for 20 common variants in 12 genes related to folate/B12/homocysteine metabolism. Metabolite concentrations and genotype distributions were compared between cases and controls using linear and logistic regression with adjustment for covariates. The phosphatidylethanolamine N-methyltransferase (PEMT) M175V and TCblR rs173665 polymorphisms were significantly associated with infertility (P=0.01 and P=0.009, respectively), but not with semen quality. Among non-users of supplements, infertile men had lower serum folate concentrations than fertile men (12.89 vs. 14.73 nmol l(-1); P=0.02), but there were no significant differences in RCF, B12 or tHcy. Folate, B12 and tHcy concentrations were not correlated with any semen parameters. This study provides little support for low folate or B12 status in the pathogenesis of idiopathic male infertility. Although additional data are needed to confirm these initial findings, our results suggest that PEMT and TCblR, genes involved in choline and B12 metabolism, merit further investigation in idiopathic male infertility. Asian Journal of Andrology (2011) 13, 856-861; doi: 10.1038/aja.2011.96; published online 22 August 2011}},
  author       = {{Murphy, Laurel E. and Mills, James L. and Molloy, Anne M. and Qian, Cong and Carter, Tonia C. and Strevens, Helena and Wide-Swensson, Dag and Giwercman, Aleksander and Levine, Richard J.}},
  issn         = {{1008-682X}},
  keywords     = {{folate; idiopathic male infertility; semen quality; vitamin B-12}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{6}},
  pages        = {{856--861}},
  publisher    = {{Nature Publishing Group}},
  series       = {{Asian Journal of Andrology}},
  title        = {{Folate and vitamin B-12 in idiopathic male infertility}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/aja.2011.96}},
  doi          = {{10.1038/aja.2011.96}},
  volume       = {{13}},
  year         = {{2011}},
}