{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,3]],"date-time":"2026-02-03T11:03:10Z","timestamp":1770116590184,"version":"3.49.0"},"reference-count":42,"publisher":"CSIRO Publishing","issue":"3","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,10]],"date-time":"2026-01-10T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1768003200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1071\/journalslicense"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":[],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,19]]},"abstract":"<jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Context<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Oxidative stress has a detrimental effect on sperm quality, which can lead to infertility. Antioxidant enzymes, such as superoxide dismutases (SODs), have crucial role to protect sperms from oxidative stress. Variations in the SOD genes have thus been linked to male fertility.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Aims<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>The primary aim of the study was to evaluate the genetic factors contributing to male reproductive health in the population of Jammu and Kashmir. Specifically, the study aimed to assess the impact of SOD1\/rs4998557 and SOD2\/rs4880 polymorphisms on risk of male infertility and to investigate the gene\u2013gene interactions between SOD1 and SOD2 variants to determine their combined effect on susceptibility to male infertility.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>SOD1\/rs4998557 and SOD2\/rs4880 single nucleotide variants (SNVs) were genotyped in 411 males (208 cases and 203 controls) using TaqMan probe and quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) technique to investigate the role of these polymorphisms in male infertility in the North Indian population of Jammu and Kashmir.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Key results<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Logistic regression analysis using SPSS showed a significant correlation of both SNVs with male infertility in the study population. The SOD2\/rs4880C&amp;gt;T (Ala16Val) variant showed a significant positive correlation [OR\u00a0=\u00a02.02 (95% CI:1.27\u20133.20), adjusted P\u00a0=\u00a00.003] and SOD1\/rs4998557G&amp;gt;A intronic variant a significant negative correlation [OR\u00a0=\u00a00.43 (95% CI:0.27\u20130.69), adj. P\u00a0=\u00a00.001] with male infertility. The gene\u2013gene interaction analysis suggested that the concomitant presence of SOD2\/rs4880 and SOD1\/rs4998557 effectively reduces the risk for infertility.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Conclusions<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Our data indicated a pleiotropic conflict between SOD2\/rs4880 and SOD1\/rs4998557 in male infertility. Specifically, SOD2\/rs4880 is linked to an increased risk of male infertility, whereas SOD1\/rs4998557 is associated with a decreased risk. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to report the association of SOD SNVs with male infertility in any Indian population.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Implications<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>As the first study to report these associations in an Indian population, it highlights the importance of regional genetic diversity. This paves the way for more inclusive, ethinicity based genetic counselling and reproductive medicine in South Asia. Additionally, the discovery that one variant increases risk while the other decreases risk suggests that male infertility is governed by complex balance of oxidative defence mechanisms.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1071\/rd25112","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,10]],"date-time":"2026-01-10T19:26:34Z","timestamp":1768073194000},"source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["SOD1 and SOD2 gene variants are significantly correlated with male infertility in a North Indian population, suggesting a possible pleiotropic conflict"],"prefix":"10.1071","volume":"38","author":[{"given":"Sonali","family":"Bhan","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"ACentre for Molecular Biology, Central University of Jammu, UT Jammu and Kashmir 181143, India."}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Manisha","family":"Bhagat","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"BIndira IVF Hospital-Jammu, Maharaja Gulab Singh Road, 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