ArticleJournal of assisted reproduction and genetics2016
An association between sperm PLCζ levels and varicocele?
Article in Journal of assisted reproduction and genetics, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT07684339 (Assessing the Correlation Between Phospholipase C Zeta), which is not on this map. Cited by 17 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Assessing the Correlation Between Phospholipase C Zeta (PLCZeta) Measurements and Semen Parameters
Who cites it
17 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 30 citations in OpenAlex.
- Phospholipase C Zeta in Human Spermatozoa: A Systematic Review on Current Development and Clinical Application.International journal of molecular sciences · 2024Pooled it
- Live Birth Rates After Varicocele Embolization in Patients After Failed In Vitro Fertilization With Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection.Andrology · 2026Article
- Sperm DNA Fragmentation in Men with Varicocele: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.The world journal of men's health · 2026Article
- Oxidative Stress-Associated Alterations in Sperm ACTL7A Expression and Function in Men With Varicocele.Oxidative medicine and cellular longevity · 2026Article
- Phospholipase Cζ, the Molecular Spark of Fertilization and Male Infertility: Insights from Bench to Bedside.Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) · 2025Review
- Assessment of Expression Levels and Localization Patterns of Phospholipase C zeta in Different Grades of HOST in Human Sperm.International journal of fertility & sterility · 2023Article
- The Therapeutic and Diagnostic Potential of Phospholipase C Zeta, Oocyte Activation, and Calcium in Treating Human Infertility.Pharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Review
- Antigen Unmasking Is Required to Clinically Assess Levels and Localisation Patterns of Phospholipase C Zeta in Human Sperm.Pharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Article
- Microsurgical Management of Male Infertility: Compelling Evidence That Collaboration with Qualified Male Reproductive Urologists Enhances Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) Outcomes.Journal of clinical medicine · 2022Review
- SPERM FACTORS AND EGG ACTIVATION: Phospholipase C zeta (PLCZ1) and the clinical diagnosis of oocyte activation deficiency.Reproduction (Cambridge, England) · 2022Review
- Sperm-oocyte interplay: an overview of spermatozoon's role in oocyte activation and current perspectives in diagnosis and fertility treatment.Cell & bioscience · 2021Review
- Sperm DNA Fragmentation: A New Guideline for Clinicians.The world journal of men's health · 2020Review
- Increasing associations between defects in phospholipase C zeta and conditions of male infertility: not just ICSI failure?Journal of assisted reproduction and genetics · 2020Review
- Reduced sperm telomere length in individuals with varicocele is associated with reduced genomic integrity.Scientific reports · 2019Article
- Oligoasthenoteratozoospermic (OAT) men display altered phospholipase C ζ (PLCζ) localization and a lower percentage of sperm cells expressing PLCζ and post-acrosomal sheath WW domain-binding protein (PAWP).Bosnian journal of basic medical sciences · 2018Article
- Effect of varicocele repair on sperm DNA fragmentation: a review.International urology and nephrology · 2018Review
- From pathophysiology to practice: addressing oxidative stress and sperm DNA fragmentation in Varicocele-affected subfertile men.International braz j urol : official journal of the Brazilian Society of UrologyReview
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors at 4 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
purposeWe aimed to compare the expression of phospholipase C ζ (PLCζ), as one of the main sperm factors involved in oocyte activation, at both RNA and protein levels in fertile men and those with varicocele.
methodsThis study included 35 individuals with male factor infertility presenting primary infertility with grade II and III unilateral varicocele and 20 fertile men without varicocele. Semen parameters were assessed according to WHO 2010. Sperm DNA fragmentation, relative expression of PLCζ at messenger RNA, and protein levels were evaluated by sperm chromatin structure assay (SCSA), real-time PCR, and Western blot analysis, respectively.
resultsThe results of this study reveal that the mean relative expression of PLCζ was significantly lower in individuals with varicocele compared to fertile men at both transcription and translation levels. In addition, the percentage of DNA fragmentation was significantly higher in infertile men with varicocele compared to fertile men.
conclusionsThe findings of the present study illustrate that one of the etiologies of reduced fertility associated with varicocele is the low expression of PLCζ. This effect could subsequently reduce the sperm ability to induce oocyte activation. Therefore, these results hold promise to modify our understanding of reproductive physiology of varicocele state.
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