Oxidative stress in seminal plasma of subfertile men with varicocele

ABSTRACT

To compare the oxidative stress in the seminal plasma of subfertile patients with and without varicocele. The free radicals and antioxidants were measured in seminal plasma of subfertile men with [n= 48] and without varicocele [n=50] lipid peroxidation [LPO], nitric oxide [NO], superoxide dismutase [SOD], glutathione peroxidase [GSH-Px], glutathione reductase [GSH-R], total thiols [TT] and ceruloplasmin [CP]. Samples from patients with varicocele had significantly higher levels of LPO and NO in comparison with subfertile men without varicocele [P<0.001]. In addition, seminal plasma of patients with varicocele showed significantly lower activities of GSH-Px and GSH-R and lower levels of [TT] [P<0.001]. No significant differences in the activities of SOD enzyme and the levels of CP were found when the two groups were compared. Also, no significant differences in these biochemical variables were detected when varicocele was classified according to its grade or laterality. LPO levels correlated negatively with sperm motility [grade A] [r = -0.26, P<0.05], GSH-Px [r = -0.30, P< 0.05] and TT [r= -0.36, P<0.01] while correlated positively with the number of pus cells in semen [r= 0.35, P<0.01]. Furthermore, NO levels correlated positively with the percent of sperms with abnormal morphology [r= 0.34, P< 0.01] while correlated negatively with GSH-R [r=-0.38, P< 0.01]. Oxidative stress may be an important etiologic factor in the pathogenesis of infertility in patients with varicocele compared to other subfertile men. The therapeutic antioxidants and drugs that reduce NO levels may be implicated in the varicocele treatment