Total antioxidant capacity in patients with varicoceles

Abstract

Objective To explore a possible molecular defect linked to infertility, studying total antioxidant capacity (TAC) of seminal plasma in varicocele (VAR). Design Case-series study. Setting Volunteers in an academic research environment and out-patients in clinical service. Patient(s) Twenty-five VAR patients (9 oligospermic and 16 normospermic) vs 24 non-VAR controls (7 subjects with idiopathic oligospermia and 17 normospermic subjects). Intervention(s) Evaluation of seminal plasma TAC. Main outcome measure(s) TAC was measured using myoglobin, as a source of radicals, which interact with a chromogen 2,2′-azinobis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonate) (ABTS), whose radical cation is spectroscopically detectable. The latency phase (Lag) in the accumulation of ABTS cation is proportional to antioxidant concentration. Result(s) Lag showed significantly greater values in the all VAR patients vs non-VAR subjects. Oligospermic-VAR patients showed the greatest values. Lag and sperm motility significantly correlated in VAR normospermic patients. Follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) showed significant inverse association with Lag in same group. Conclusion(s) The augmented Lag values could indicate an ineffective utilization of antioxidants in oligospermic-VAR, while in normo-VAR the direct correlation between TAC and motility suggest a potential protective role toward sperm motility. In the same group, the inverse correlation with FSH suggests that greater FSH levels induce a better utilization of antioxidants by spermatozoa.