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Molecular mechanisms involved in varicocele-associated infertility

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Abstract

Varicocele is a pathologic enlargement of the pampiniform venous plexus within the spermatic cord, a condition that is a common cause of impaired sperm production and decreased quality of sperm. While varicocele is the most common surgically correctable risk factor for male infertility, not all males with varicocele experience infertility. In fact, most men with varicocele have normal spermatogenesis. Despite its prevalence, the molecular mechanisms of varicocele and its effect on testicular function are yet to be completely understood. We postulate that men with varicocele-associated infertility could have preexisting genetic lesions or defects in molecular mechanisms that make them more susceptible to varicocele-mediated testicular injury affecting spermatogenesis.

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Disclosure statement

The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.

Author contributions

M.M.S., R.R., and D.J.L. contributed equally in writing the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Urology, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY, USA

    Matthew M. Sheehan

  2. Scott Department of Urology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA

    Ranjith Ramasamy & Dolores J. Lamb

  3. Center for Reproductive Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA

    Ranjith Ramasamy & Dolores J. Lamb

  4. Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA

    Dolores J. Lamb

  5. Scott Department of Urology and Center for Reproductive Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, One Baylor Plaza RM N730, Houston, TX, 77030, USA

    Dolores J. Lamb

Authors
  1. Matthew M. Sheehan
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Dolores J. Lamb.

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Capsule Varicocele and male infertility.

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Sheehan, M.M., Ramasamy, R. & Lamb, D.J. Molecular mechanisms involved in varicocele-associated infertility. J Assist Reprod Genet 31, 521–526 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10815-014-0200-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10815-014-0200-9

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