title: Heme oxygenase enzyme activity in human seminal plasma of fertile and infertile males.
abstract: This work aimed to assess heme oxygenase (HO) enzyme activity relationship with different human semen parameters. One hundred and twenty men were divided according to their sperm count and clinical examination into: obstructive azoospermia (n = 20), nonobstructive azoospermia (NOA) (n = 25), oligozoospermia (n = 35) and normozoospermia (n = 40). Semen analysis, western blot for HO-1 and HO-2, and estimation of seminal plasma HO enzyme activity chemically in the form of bilirubin concentration were carried out. Seminal plasma HO enzyme activity was very low in OA specimens, low in NOA, moderate in oligozoospermia while higher in normozoospermia (mean +/- SD; 6.26 +/- 2.2, 81.4 +/- 35.5, 283.8 +/- 90.1, 657.4 +/- 227.6 pmol ml(-1) min(-1)) with significant differences. Western blot analysis demonstrated HO-2 expression in all studied groups whereas HO-1 was highly expressed in fertile normozoospermic group compared with other groups. There was positive correlation between seminal plasma HO enzyme activity and sperm concentration, sperm motility percentage, motile spermatozoa ml(-1) and sperm normal morphology per cent. It is concluded that HO enzyme activity in the human seminal plasma is related to spermatogenesis and sperm-motility processes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Biochemistry, Molecular Biology Unit, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt.
authors.forename: M T
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Abdel Aziz
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Mostafa
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Roshdy
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hosni
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Rashed
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Sabry
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Abdel Nasser
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Abdel Azim
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Abdel Gawad
mesh_terms: D005298:Fertility / Q000502:physiology*; D006419:Heme Oxygenase (Decyclizing) / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D007248:Infertility, Male / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D008297:Male; D009845:Oligospermia / Q000201:enzymology / Q000503:physiopathology; D012661:Semen / Q000201:enzymology*; D013076:Sperm Count; D013081:Sperm Motility / Q000502:physiology; D013091:Spermatogenesis / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D006419:Heme Oxygenase (Decyclizing)