title: Levels of L-carnitine and L-O-acetylcarnitine in normal and infertile human semen: a lower level of L-O-acetycarnitine in infertile semen.
abstract: The level of total L-carnitine was determined in normal human seminal plasma and sperm. Most of the L-carnitine is concentrated in the seminal plasma and its level is about 10 times higher than that in blood plasma. About 50% of total L-carnitine in normal human seminal plasma exists in the form of acetylcarnitine. Similar studies were also carried out in oligospermic and azoospermic human seminal plasma. The level of L-O-acetylcarnitine in both types of infertile samples is significantly lower than that in normal samples. On the other hand, the level of free L-carnitine is the same in fertile and infertile seminal plasma.
mesh_terms: D000108:Acetylcarnitine / Q000378:metabolism*; D002331:Carnitine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D007248:Infertility, Male / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D009845:Oligospermia / Q000378:metabolism; D012661:Semen / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D000108:Acetylcarnitine; D002331:Carnitine