Background: Varicocele is the most commonly identified correctable cause of male infertility. Varicocelectomy is commonly performed an operation for treatment of male infertility by obstructing the refluxing venous drainage to the testis while maintaining arterial inflow and lymphatic drainage. Granulysin is a catalytic molecule in human Cytotoxic T lymphocytes and natural killer cell granules.
Objective: Estimate seminal plasma level of granulysin in varicocele patients versus control, its level before and after varicocelectomy and correlate it with semen parameters and varicocele grade.
Methods: A Case control study conducted on 23 varicocele and 24 non varicocele male as control. All patients were clinically evaluated by history and examination. The assessment of seminal plasma granulysin level, semen analysis and Doppler ultrasonography were done.
Results: Seminal plasma granulysin level was significantly increased in cases compared to control (P <0.001). SPG was significantly higher among the varicocele cases pre-operation compared to cases after operation (P<0.001). SPG could be an entrant in the physiological apoptosis of spermatogenesis process and its high level was negatively affected of the spermatogenesis in males with varicocele.
Conclusion: Varicocelectomy led to upgrade semen parameters with a significant effect on increase of concentration, progressive motility, total motility of sperm and sperm morphology and significantly decreases seminal plasma granulysin level.