Possible Impact of Human β-defensin 1 on sperm motility in infertile men with abnormal sperm parameters

Human β-defensins and interleukins may be auxiliary in sperm maturation. This cross-sectional study aimed to evaluate the expression of Human β-defensins 1 and 2, interleukins (ILs)− 10 and -18 genes in sperm, as well as seminal plasma levels of these two cytokines in subfertile men with different types of sperm abnormalities compared to those with normozoospermic men. Participants were separated into two experimental groups: the control group (n = 25) and the group with sperm abnormalities (SA) (n = 45). SA participants were further subdivided into the following groups with n = 15 individuals each: Teratozoospermia (T), Asthenoteratozoospermia (AT), and Oligoasthenoteratozoospermia (OAT) groups. The quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction was used to quantify the mRNA levels of hBDs 1 and 2, IL-10, and IL-18 in sperm. The seminal plasma concentrations of IL-10 and IL-18 were measured by using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay technique. The mRNA expression of hBD-1 and IL-10 showed a significant decrease in the OAT compared to the controls (P