Activity of antioxidant enzymes in seminal plasma and their relationship with lipid peroxidation of spermatozoa

Heidar Tavilani,Saeedeh Salimi,Taghi Hassanzadeh,Asad Vaisi-Raygani,Mohamad T Goodarzi

doi:10.1590/s1677-55382008000400011

Abstract

To determine the activity of seminal plasma catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GPX) and their relationship with malondialdehyde (MDA), as a marker of lipid peroxidation, content of spermatozoa and seminal plasma in normozoospermic and asthenozoospermic males. Semen samples were obtained from 15 normozoospermic and 30 asthenozoospermic men. We observed inverse correlations between activities of CAT (k/mL) and SOD (U/mL) in seminal plasma with MDA content of spermatozoa from normozoospermic samples (r =- 0.43, p < 0.05 and r =- 0.5, p < 0.05, respectively). Significant correlations were observed between total activity CAT (k/total seminal plasma) with total SOD (U/total seminal plasma) and GPX activity (mU/total seminal plasma) in seminal plasma from normozoospermic samples (r = 0.67, p = 0.008 and r = 0.455, p = 0.047, respectively). Furthermore, we found positive correlations between total activities of CAT, SOD and GPX with total content of MDA in seminal plasma (nmoL/total seminal plasma) from normozoospermic samples (r = 0.67, p = 0.003; r = 0.73, p = 0.003; r = 0.74, p = 0.004, respectively). In asthenozoospermic samples, there were no significant correlations observed between activities of CAT (k/mL), SOD (U/mL) and GPX (mU/mL) of seminal plasma with MDA content of spermatozoa. However, we found significant correlations between total activities of CAT (k/total seminal plasma) and SOD (U/total seminal plasma) with total content of MDA in seminal plasma (r = 0.4, p = 0.018 and r = 0.34, p = 0.03, respectively). These findings indicate a protective role for antioxidant enzymes of seminal plasma against lipid peroxidation of spermatozoa in normozoospermic samples.

Highlights

Aerobic metabolism of human sperm produces various reactive oxygen species (ROS), which are potentially harmful to the sperm plasma membrane with its high content of polyunsaturated fatty acids [1,2,3]
(1) = Grade of sperm movement according to World Health Organization criteria [16]. a = rapid progressive; b = slow progressive, * p < 0.05; ** p < 0.001
Jones et al showed that the mechanism by which oxidative stress induced motility loss in mammalian spermatozoa involved the induction of peroxidative damage to the sperm plasma membrane [1]

Summary

Introduction

Aerobic metabolism of human sperm produces various reactive oxygen species (ROS), which are potentially harmful to the sperm plasma membrane with its high content of polyunsaturated fatty acids [1,2,3]. There is growing evidence that lipid peroxidation damage to the plasma membrane of spermatozoa plays an important role in the mechanism of male infertility [4,5,6]. The toxic lipid peroxides are known to cause various impairments of the sperm cell, such as membrane damage and decrease in motility [7,8]. Seminal plasma contains enzymatic ROS scavengers such as superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GPX) and catalase (CAT). These enzymes act as an antioxidant and inhibitor of lipid peroxidation. Peroxidative damage in spermatozoa depends on ROS production, and on sperm and seminal plasma antioxidant defenses [10]

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Methods

Results