

<!DOCTYPE article PUBLIC "-//NLM//DTD Journal Publishing DTD v3.0 20080202//EN" "journalpublishing3.dtd">

<article xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">
  <front>
    <journal-meta>
      <journal-id journal-id-type="nlm-ta">J Reprod Infert</journal-id>
      <journal-id journal-id-type="publisher-id">arij001</journal-id>
      <journal-title-group>
        <journal-title>Journal of Reproduction &amp; Infertility</journal-title>
      </journal-title-group>
      <issn pub-type="ppub">2228-5482</issn>
      <issn pub-type="epub">2251-676X</issn>
      <publisher>
        <publisher-name>Avicenna Research Institute</publisher-name>
      </publisher>
    </journal-meta>

    <article-meta>
      <article-id pub-id-type="publisher-id">jri140263</article-id>
      <article-id pub-id-type="doi"></article-id>
      <article-id pub-id-type="pmid"></article-id>
      <article-categories>
        <subj-group subj-group-type="heading">
             <subject></subject> 
        </subj-group>
        <subj-group>
            <subject></subject>
        </subj-group> 
      </article-categories>
      <title-group>
        <article-title>Assessment of Seminal Lactoferrin Levels in Oligoasthenoterato-zoospermic Men with Varicocele</article-title>
      </title-group>
        <contrib-group><contrib contrib-type="author"><name><surname>Ghaly</surname><given-names>Mahmoud F</given-names></name></contrib><aff>Department of Andrology, Sexology and STIs, Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt</aff></contrib-group><contrib-group><contrib contrib-type="author"><name><surname>Abougabal</surname><given-names>Khadiga</given-names></name></contrib><aff>Department of Clinical and Chemical Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Beni-Suef University, Beni Suef, Egypt</aff></contrib-group><contrib-group><contrib contrib-type="author"><name><surname>Allam</surname><given-names>Ayman A</given-names></name></contrib><aff>Department of Andrology, Sexology and STIs, Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt</aff></contrib-group><contrib-group><contrib contrib-type="author"><name><surname>Palani</surname><given-names>Ayad</given-names></name></contrib><aff>Department of Basic Sciences, College of Medicine, University of Garmian, Kalar, Iraq</aff><aff>Department of Clinical Biochemistry, Zanko Central Laboratory, Kalar, Iraq</aff></contrib-group><contrib-group><contrib contrib-type="author"><name><surname>Mostafa</surname><given-names>Taymour</given-names></name></contrib><aff>Department of Clinical Biochemistry, Zanko Central Laboratory, Kalar, Iraq</aff></contrib-group>
      <pub-date pub-type="ppub">
        <day></day>
        <month></month>
        <year></year>
      </pub-date>
      <pub-date pub-type="epub">
        <day></day>
        <month></month>
        <year></year>
      </pub-date>
      <volume>26</volume>
      <issue>2</issue>
      <fpage>119</fpage>
      <lpage>126</lpage>
      <history>
        <date date-type="received">
          <day>15</day>
          <month>3</month>
          <year>2025</year>
        </date>
        <date date-type="accepted">
          <day>16</day>
          <month>8</month>
          <year>2025</year>
        </date>
      </history>
      <abstract>
      <p>
      &lt;p&gt;Background: The association between varicocele and male infertility has always been a subject of ongoing debate. Lactoferrin (LF) belongs to the transferrin family with iron-binding properties and exhibits many beneficial biological properties. The purpose of the current study was to assess seminal levels of LF in infertile oligoasthenoteratozoospermic (OAT) men with varicocele.&lt;br /&gt;
Methods: Sixty-nine men were allocated into three groups; healthy fertile men (as controls) (n=20), infertile OAT men without varicocele (n=19), and infertile OAT men with varicocele (n=30). All men underwent history taking, genital examination, semen analysis, and determination levels of seminal LF by ELISA method. Statistical analysis was carried out using Kruskal-Wallis test followed by post-hoc analysis (Conover) for comparisons involving more than two groups, and the Mann-Whitney U test for comparisons between two groups. Spearman correlation test was used to assess the relationship between variables. The p&amp;gt;0.05 was set as statistically significant.&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;
Results: The median seminal LF level of the healthy fertile controls demonstrated significantly increased levels compared to both groups of infertile OAT men with or without varicocele (p&amp;lt;0.000001). The median seminal LF level of the infertile OAT men with varicocele grade III demonstrated a significant decrease compared to infertile OAT men with grade II (p=0.0057). Collectively, seminal LF levels exhibited significant positive correlations with sperm concentration, total sperm motility, and normal sperm morphology.&lt;br /&gt;
Conclusion: LF can be an imperative seminal biomarker that decreases in infertile OAT men especially if associated with varicocele.&lt;/p&gt;

      </p>
      </abstract>
    </article-meta>
  </front>

    
</article>

