L-carnitine level in seminal plasma of fertile and infertile men.
BACKGROUND
To determine any correlation between infertility and semen quality with concentrations of L-carnitine in human seminal plasma.


METHODS
This case-control study performed in Fatemieh Hospital in Hamadan, Iran. Seminal plasma of 72 infertile men and 80 men with proved fertility as a control group was investigated and L-carnitine level was determined using UV enzymatic test at 340 nm.


RESULTS
The concentration of L-carnitine was significantly lower in the infertile group compared with control group (80.59±56.43 mg/l versus 108.43±42.26 mg/l; P= 0.0009). There was also a statistically significant positive correlation between seminal plasma L-carnitine concentration, total sperm count, and the percentage of motile sperm (P= 0.0009, and P= 0.0000, respectively).


CONCLUSIONS
These finding suggest that the determination of seminal plasma L-carnitine level may be a useful test in evaluation of male infertility.
Dept. of Biochemistry & Nutrition, School of Medicine, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Hamadan, Iran.
N
N
Sheikh
Mt
M
Goodarzi
H
H
Bab Al-Havaejee
Mr
M
Safari
I
I
Amiri
R
R
Najafi
J
J
Hadeie