Coenzyme Q10 and oxidative stress markers in seminal plasma of Iraqi patients with male infertility

To evaluate seminal plasma coenzyme Q10 [CoQ10] levels and oxidative stress in patients with different types of male infertility. A case-control study was carried out in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, College of Medicine, Al Nahrain University, Baghdad, Iraq from the period of November 2004 to July 2006. Sixty patients with male infertility were recruited from Al Kadhimia Teaching Hospital, Baghdad and included in this study. The male patients were categorized according to their seminal fluid parameters to oligozoospermia [n=32], azoospermia [n=22], and asthenozoospermia [n=6]. All obtained results from infertile men groups were compared with age-matched healthy volunteers as control group consisting of 39 subjects. Seminal plasma samples were analyzed for CoQ10 by an improved high performance liquid chromatography [HPLC] method and for malondialdehyde [MDA] as an index of oxidative stress. The mean seminal plasma CoQ10 was 1.10 +/- 0.169 mg/L in oligozoospermia, 0.567 +/- 0.098 mg/L in azoospermia, 0.740 +/- 0.06 mg/L in patients with asthenozoospermia, and 1.652 +/- 0.139 mg/L in control group. The seminal plasma CoQ10 levels in all infertility groups showed a significant difference from the control group [p Elevated seminal plasma CoQ10 levels are associated directly with good semen parameters and inversely with the oxidative stress

Lysosomal enzymatic activities in seminal plasma of Iraqi patients with male infertility

Infertility is defined as the inability to conceive after one year of unprotected sexual intercourse. Some cases of male infertility are due to a specific cause whereas others are due to less obvious etiologies and results in less drastic changes in semen parameters. Arylsulfatase A, arylsulfatase B and alkaline proteinase have not been studied adequately in relation to male infertility. To study the association between seminal plasma arylsulfatase A, arylsulfatase B and alkaline proteinase enzyme activities and semen parameters in different Iraqi male infertile patients. Sixty patients with male infertility were included in this study. The male patients were categorized according to their seminal fluid parameters to oligospermia [n=32], azoospermia [n=22] and asthenospermia [n=6]. All results obtained were compared with age - matched healthy controls group consisting of 39 subjects. The experiments were carried out in the laboratories of the physiological chemistry department at the college of Medicine / Al - Nahrain University during the period from November 2004 to July 2006. arylsulfalase A and arylsulfatase B were significantly decreased in all infertility groups. Seminal plasma arylsulfatase A decreased 73.55% in oligospermia group, 75.14% in azoospennia group and 73.87% in asthenospermia group in relation to the normal fertile group. Seminal plasma arylsulfatase B decreased 72.78% in oligospermic patients, 22.34% in azoospermic patients and 44.82% in asthenospermic patients compared with the normal fertile group. On the contrary, seminal plasma alkaline proteinase increased 1.55, 1.86 and 2.11 fold in oligospermic, azoospermic and asthenospermic groups respectively from normal group. It is possible to use seminal plasma arylsulfatase A, arylsulfatase B and alkaline proteinase as fertility markers in the different male infertility types