title: Glutathione peroxidase (GPX) activity in seminal plasma of healthy and infertile males.
abstract: Human spermatozoa are more dependent on glutathione peroxidase/glutathione reductase (GPX/GR) system, via reduced glutathione (GSH), to inactivate reactive oxygen metabolites (ROMs) such as hydrogen peroxide and organic hydroperoxides. To demonstrate whether there is a substantial difference in GPX activity between normal and pathological seminal plasma, we decided to evaluate the activity of this enzyme in healthy subjects and infertile males with normal hormonal patterns. Our results demonstrate that in healthy subjects the seminal plasma contains a GPX activity that is about 10 times greater than the GPX activity detected in the seminal plasma of infertile males. By using specific antibodies against plasmatic GPX (GPX3), we also demonstrate that enzymatic activity, detected in the seminal plasma of both healthy and infertile males is GPX3. Therefore, the evaluation of GPX activity in human seminal plasma could be a new useful marker of gonadal function in men.
authors.affiliation: Department of Virology, Ascalesi Hospital, Local Medical Unit 1, Naples, Italy. angelagiannattasio@yahoo.it
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Giannattasio
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: De Rosa
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Smeraglia
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Zarrilli
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cimmino
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Di Rosario
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ruggiero
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Colao
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Lombardi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005979:Glutathione Peroxidase / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D007248:Infertility, Male / Q000201:enzymology*; D008297:Male; D012661:Semen / Q000201:enzymology*; D013076:Sperm Count; D013081:Sperm Motility
chemical_list: C486484:GPX3 protein, human; D005979:Glutathione Peroxidase