Status of Selenium in seminal plasma of Male infertility and their correlation with Various Sperm Parameters.

Abstract

Background; Human semen contains low concentration of selenium (Se). The presence of abnormal level of this trace element may affect spermatogenesis with regard to production, maturation, motility and fertilizing capacity of the spermatozoa. The aim of this study is to evaluate the level of Se in seminal plasma in different groups of male infertility and to correlate their concentration with various semen parameters.Subjects and Methods: Forty primary infertile male individuals, who had regular unprotected intercourse for at least one year without conception with their partners, aged 25-40 years were involved in the present study. After seminal plasma fluid analysis they were grouped as, azoospermic,oligoasthenozoospermic, and teratozoospermic. Twenty males selected from general population and after seminal fluid investigation they were taken as normospermic control group. Selenium concentration in separated seminal plasma of each infertile male and fertile control subject were determined by HPLC.Results: This study showed significant decrease of seminal plasma Se mean (±SEM) value in azoospermic and in oligoasthenozoospermic infertile males than in infertile male controls(p<0.05),and highly significant decrease in teratozoospermic patients (p<0.005) when compared with that of fertile males.The results also showed that there was no significant correlation between Selenium concentration and sperm count, morphology and motility.Conclusion: On the basis of the findings of this study, it seems that the estimation of seminal plasma levels of selenium may aid in investigation and treatment of infertile males.