The imbalance of TNF-α level and gene polymorphisms involved in Toxoplasma gondii infection contributes to unexplained female infertility | ||
| African Journal of Biological Sciences | ||
| Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript, Available Online from 03 November 2025 | ||
| Document Type: Original Article | ||
| DOI: 10.21608/ajbs.2025.434813.1155 | ||
| Authors | ||
| Asmaa Ibrahim* 1; Taymour Mostafa2; amal Ahmed abdelaziz3; Yasser BM Ali1 | ||
| 1Department of Molecular Biology, Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology Research Institute, University of Sadat City (GEBRI, USC), El Sadat City, Egypt | ||
| 2Department of Andrology, Sexology & STIs, Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt. | ||
| 3Department of Molecular Biology, Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology Research Institute, University of Sadat City, Egypt | ||
| Abstract | ||
| Objective: This study aimed to determine the prevalence of T. gondii in female with unexplained infertility and to investigate the role of TNF-α level and the polymorphisms at positions -1031T/C and -308 G/A in increasing susceptibility to T. gondii infections and their adverse outcomes. Patients and Methods: This cross-sectional study recruited 103 female patients diagnosed with unexplained infertility. Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) was used for the detection of anti-T. gondii antibodies (IgG and IgM) and TNF-α level in the serum. The detection of T. gondii DNA in the blood samples was performed using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) targeting the 529 bp RE marker of T. gondii. PCR-based restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis was performed to characterize the polymorphism of TNF-α at positions -1031T/C and -308 G/A. Results: The prevalence rate of Toxoplasmosis in the investigated women with unexplained infertility based on IgG antibody was 43 (41.7%). High serum prolactin levels have been shown in infected women than in non-infected (P =0.021). Women with unexplained infertility and toxoplasmosis had significantly higher levels of TNF-α compared to non-infected subjects (20.7 ± 8.8 vs.16.3 ± 10.0 pg/ml; P = 0.023). The genotype and allelic frequencies of TNF-α -308 G/A differ significantly between infected and noninfected subjects (P<0.05). Conclusion: This study highlights the high prevalence of toxoplasmosis as one reason for unexplained female infertility. Increased serum TNF-α levels and the -308 G/A polymorphism in women infected with toxoplasmosis strongly indicate a link to unexplained infertility. | ||
| Keywords | ||
| Female; infertility; gene polymorphism; TNF-α; Toxoplasmosis | ||
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