Reduced seminal concentration of CD45pos cells after follicle-stimulating hormone treatment in selected patients with idiopatic oligoasthenoteratozoospermia

The present study evaluated the conventional sperm parameters and the seminal concentration of CD45pos cells (pan-leukocytemarker) of infertile patients with idiopathic oligoasthenoteratozoospermia (OAT). The patients were arbitrarily divided into threegroups treated with recombinant follicle-stimulating hormone FSH: (Group A = 20 patients), recombinant FSH- (Group B = 20patients), and highly purified human FSH (Group C = 14 patients). All treated groups achieved a similar improvement of the mainsperm parameters (density, progressive motility, and morphology), but only the increase in the percentage of spermatozoa withnormal morphology was significant compared to the baseline in all three examined groups. Moreover, all groups had a significantreduction of the seminal concentration of CD45pos cells and of the percentage of immature germ cells. Before and after thetreatment, the concentration of CD45pos cells showed a positive linear correlation with the percentage of immature germ cellsand a negative correlation with the percentage of spermatozoa with regular morphology. These results demonstrate that treatmentwith FSH is effective in patients with idiopathic OAT and that there are no significant differences between the different preparations.The novelty of this study is in the significant reduction of the concentration of CD45pos cells observed after the treatment.