الفهرس 
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Abstract
Infertility is one of the major clinical problem that affects individual’s life and defined as inability of a sexually active, non-contracepting couple to conceive after one year of regular intercourse. Idiopathic infertility occurs in 30% and characterized by abnormal semen analysis of unknown etiology and normal physical examination and endocrinal laboratory examination.
The basis of interplay between VD and fertility relays on the presence of VDR and VD metabolizing enzymes in various tissues of male reproductive tract; in addition, VD provides a proper environment for sperm maturation as it increases intracellular calcium concentrations thus affecting sperm motility and fertilization.
Epigenetics is the study of heritable changes in gene expression without any modifications in DNA sequence. The best well studied epigenetic modifications is DNA methylation. Disruption of the VDR gene by DNA methylation results in gene silencing and thus affecting its function. DNA methylation has previously been associated with various human disorders as well as male infertility.
The aim of the present study was to assess serum VD level and seminal methylation status of VDR gene in idiopathic infertility in Egyptian men.
A case-control study was done on thirty male patients with idiopathic infertility and twenty healthy fertile males served as controls to evaluate serum 25OHD level and seminal methylation status of VDR gene in Egyptian men. Patients were recruited from the Andrology outpatient clinic, Alexandria Main University hospital.
Blood sample was taken from each subject to measure serum level of 25OHD by mini VIDAS (Biomerieux, France) using ELFA (Enzyme Linked Fluorescent Assay) technique; semen sample was taken from each subject for semen analysis and assessment of seminal methylation status of VDR gene using Stratagene Mx3000P Real Time PCR.
The results showed that serum VD was significantly lower in patients than control group. There was a significant positive correlation between serum VD and sperm progressive motility in total studied group. VDR gene methylation was significantly higher in patients than control group. There was a negative correlation between VDR gene methylation and serum VD level but it did not reach level of statistical significance. There was a significant negative correlation between VDR gene methylation and both sperm concentration and progressive motility in total studied group.