This prospective cross-sectional observational study was designed to evaluate serum and seminal plasma zonulin levels in infertile men with clinically diagnosed varicocele and compare them with those in infertile men without varicocele. The study also aimed to investigate the association between zonulin concentrations and conventional semen parameters.
A total of 119 men evaluated for infertility between December 2022 and May 2023 were included. Participants were classified into two groups according to the presence or absence of clinically diagnosed varicocele. Serum and seminal plasma zonulin concentrations were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Conventional semen parameters, including semen volume, sperm concentration, total sperm count, progressive motility, total motility, and normal sperm morphology, were evaluated and compared between the study groups.