Background: Estrogen receptor 1 (ESR1) and 2 (ESR2) play an important role in regulating fertility in the
human reproductive system. Polymorphisms of these receptor genes have been implicated in
male infertility in both Chinese and Caucasian populations. However, studies have produced
inconsistent results. Spermatozoa defects that result in conception deficiencies could be related
to estrogens, their receptors, or genes involved in estrogen-related pathways. This study aims
to explore the potential association between the ESR1 and the ESR2 polymorphisms in relation
to semen parameters of Caucasian males as well as fertilization success.
Materials/Methods: A total of 116 males were included in this study. Forty couples underwent conventional in vitro
fertilization, while 76 couples were treated by intracytoplasmic sperm injection. Standard
semen analyses were performed according to the World Health Organization criteria. Polymerase
chain reaction and restriction fragment length polymorphisms were used to determine
genotype and allele distributions.
Results: A strong association between the ESR1 rs2234693 recognized by PvuII enzyme, genotype/allele
distribution and fertilization success was shown. The T allele occurrence was significantly
lower in the case of fertilization failure (p = 0.02). Additionally, the TT genotype was absent
in the same group (p=0.02). In the case of the remaining analyzed polymorphisms, little to no
interdependence of genotype/allele distribution and fertilization success was noted.
Conclusions: Apart from ESR1 rs2234693, the study failed to demonstrate that fertilization success was associated
with the selected polymorphisms. In most cases, we did not discover a relationship
between both estrogen receptors polymorphisms and sperm function.
The Effect of Elevated CO2 and Increased Temperature on in Vitro Fertilization Success and Initial Embryonic Development of Single Male:Female Crosses of Broad-Cast Spawning Corals at Mid- and High-Latitude Locations
