Semen reactive oxygen species levels are correlated with erectile function among chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome patients

• Published in: International journal of impotence research Vol. 30; no. 6; pp. 335 - 341
• Main Authors: Alkan, Ilter, Yüksel, Meral, Özveri, Hakan, Atalay, Anıl, Canat, Halil Lütfi, Culha, Mehmet Gokhan, Arabacı, Çiğdem, Bozkurt, Muammer, Başar, Murad
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 01.11.2018; Nature Publishing Group
• Subjects: 692/420/256; 692/699/2768/1575; Adult; Case-Control Studies; Chronic illnesses; Erectile dysfunction; Erectile Dysfunction - complications; Erectile Dysfunction - etiology; Humans; Male; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Mens health; Middle Aged; Multivariate Analysis; Pain; Penile Erection; Prospective Studies; Prostate; Prostatitis - complications; Reactive oxygen species; Reactive Oxygen Species - chemistry; Regression Analysis; Reproductive Medicine; rology; Semen - chemistry; Severity of Illness Index; Sexual disorders; Surveys and Questionnaires; Turkey; Urology; Turkey
• ISSN: 0955-9930; 1476-5489; 1476-5489
• DOI: 10.1038/s41443-018-0047-1

Chronic Prostatitis/Chronic Pelvic Pain Syndrome (CP/CPPS) is often associated with erectile dysfunction (ED). However, the underlying pathophysiological mechanisms of ED occurrence are still unclear in patients with CP/CPPS. The aim of the study was to investigate superoxide anion (O 2 • − ) and total reactive oxygen species (ROS) production in semen of men with category IIIA CP/CPPS and their association with ED. This prospective study included 33 men with category IIIA CP/CPPS. Control group consisted of 13 healthy men. Total ROS and O 2 • − production were assayed by luminol and lucigenin-dependent chemiluminescence (CL) methods, respectively. ED was evaluated using the IIEF-5 questionnaire. Patients with CP/CPPS had significantly higher seminal total ROS and O 2 • − levels than healthy control subjects (2.9 ± 0.5 relative light unit (RLU) vs. 2.4 ± 0.2 RLU, p  < 0.001; luminol-dependent CL and 2.5 ± 0.4 RLU vs. 2.3 ± 0.2 RLU, p  = 0.02; lucigenin-dependent CL, respectively). Seminal O 2 • − and ROS levels were negatively correlated with IIEF-5 scores ( r  = −0.556, r  = −0.536; p  < 0.001, respectively). These results may suggest O 2 • − /ROS overproduction could be one of the important mechanisms in the etiology of ED development in CP/CPPS patients.