Association of molecular variants of luteinizing hormone with male infertility

Luteinizing hormone (LH) stimulates the interstitial Leydig cells to produce testosterone, which is essential for spermatogenesis. Abnormalities in the function of LH may affect the process of spermatogenesis and thus result in infertility. The aim of this study was to determine the association of three known variants of LH (Gln54Arg [Trp8Arg; Ile15Thr] and Gly102Ser) with male infertility. A total of 145 infertile men and 200 healthy fertile men were recruited and screened for the presence of these three LH variants. The Gln54Arg variant could not be detected in either of the groups studied. Twelve infertile (8.2%) and 15 fertile (7.5%) men were found to carry the [Trp8Ile; I15Thr] variant, but its occurrence did not show any significant difference between the patient and control groups. The Gly102Ser variant was detected in five patients with infertility (3.4%), but not in the control subjects (P = 0.013). This study showed that the Gln54Arg and [Trp8Ile; I15Thr] variants in the LHbeta gene were not associated with male infertility, whereas the Gly102Ser variant might be implicated in infertility in some Singapore Chinese men.