Abstract
It has often been suggested that determination of free L(-)-carnitine in seminal plasma may provide a good indication of epididymal function. However there has been disagreement regarding the origin of L(-)-carnitine (epididymis and seminal vesicles) and its concentration in human seminal plasma. In this study free L(-)-carnitine was determined after deproteinization with an enzymatic spectrophotometric method. In 29 semen samples from fathers and with normal spermiograms (semen volume between 2 and 6 ml sperm count over 20.10 /ml more than 50% motile spermatozoa) the total free L(-)-carnitine in the seminal plasma was 1010 nmoles (SD: +or- 480) in 16 samples from vasectomized men it was 131 nmoles (SD: +or- 77) and in 5 from men with agensis of the vas deferens and seminal vesicles it was 21 nmoles (SD: +or- 25). These results suggest that free L(-)-carnitine in the seminal fluid is predominantly of epididymal origin. The results of free L(-)-carnitine determinations in split ejaculates and the absence of a correlation between L(-)-carnitine and fructose concentrations in semen from normal subjects indicate that the seminal vesicles make only a minor contribution to L(-)-carnitine in the seminal plasma. (authors)
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