title: Relationship between semen quality and the seminal plasma components carnitine, alpha-glucosidase, fructose, citrate and granulocyte elastase in infertile men compared with a normal population.
abstract: The seminal plasma components neutral alpha-glucosidase, carnitine, fructose, citrate, and polymorphonuclear granulocyte (PMN) elastase in 253 men were determined. The seminal plasma of 221 infertile men, a control group with proved fertility and 13 patients after vasectomy were investigated. The concentrations of free carnitine (212 versus 521 micromol/l, n = 219, P < 0.001), total carnitine (437 versus 743 micromol/l, n = 219, P < 0.001), and the activity of neutral alpha-glucosidase (15.1 versus 23.4 IU/l, n = 236, P < 0.05) were significantly reduced in the infertile patient group as compared to the fertile control group, the concentration of PMN elastase (102 versus 48 microg/l, n = 234, P < 0.05) being significantly increased in the infertile patients. In the patients after vasectomy the activity of neutral alpha-glucosidase was the only epididymal marker that was significantly reduced (4.3 versus 9. 8 IU/l, n = 35, P = 0.002) in comparison with the patients with testicular azoospermia. At a limit of 6 IU/l the sensitivity of the method was 92% and the specificity was 72%. Altogether, the epididymal markers were reduced in subfertile patients compared with the control group. For the differential diagnosis of azoospermia only the determination of the neutral alpha-glucosidase activity is useful.
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology and Institute of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiochemistry, University Hospital Charité, Humboldt University, Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Zöpfgen
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Priem
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Sudhoff
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Jung
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lenk
authors.forename: S A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Loening
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Sinha
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000032:analysis; D002331:Carnitine / Q000032:analysis*; D019343:Citric Acid / Q000032:analysis; D005632:Fructose / Q000032:analysis; D006801:Humans; D007248:Infertility, Male / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000378:metabolism*; D019272:Leukocyte Elastase / Q000032:analysis*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009845:Oligospermia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000378:metabolism; D012661:Semen / Q000737:chemistry / Q000502:physiology*; D013081:Sperm Motility; D013094:Spermatozoa / Q000002:abnormalities; D014659:Vasectomy; D000520:alpha-Glucosidases / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D019343:Citric Acid; D005632:Fructose; D000520:alpha-Glucosidases; D019272:Leukocyte Elastase; D002331:Carnitine