title: The relationship between varicocele and semen nitric oxide concentrations.
abstract: We investigated the relationship between seminal plasma nitric oxide (NO) concentrations and conventional semen parameters in patients with varicocele. Semen samples were obtained from infertile patients with varicocele (n = 55) and from normal controls (n = 48). The mean NO concentration in the seminal plasma of patients with varicocele was significantly higher than that of the controls (P < 0.01). A significant negative correlation was noted between NO and sperm motility (r = -0.29, P = 0.003), NO and sperm concentration (r = -0.26, P = 0.008) and NO and normal morphology (normal %) (r = -0.25, P = 0.01). It was concluded that increased NO production may influence sperm production, motility and morphology in patients with varicocele.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, Medical School, Atatürk University, Erzurum, Turkey. hulyaaksoy@superonline.com
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Aksoy
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Aksoy
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Ozbey
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Altuntas
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Akçay
mesh_terms: D004730:Endothelium, Vascular / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009569:Nitric Oxide / Q000032:analysis* / Q000378:metabolism; D012661:Semen / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism*; D013081:Sperm Motility / Q000502:physiology; D014646:Varicocele / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D009569:Nitric Oxide