Semen quality and sperm ultrastructure in infertile men with varicocele

• Published in: Zhonghua nan ke xue Vol. 19; no. 8; p. 704
• Main Authors: Ma, Hua-Gang, Zhao, Wen-Jie, Lu, Hong-Kai
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: Chinese
• Published: China 01.08.2013
• Subjects: Adult; Case-Control Studies; Humans; Infertility, Male - etiology; Infertility, Male - pathology; Male; Semen Analysis; Sperm Motility; Spermatozoa - ultrastructure; Varicocele - complications; Varicocele - pathology
• ISSN: 1009-3591

To examine and analyze semen quality and sperm ultrastructural characteristics of infertile patients with varicocele. This study included 118 infertile patients with varicocele (the VC group) and 76 normal semen donors (the control group). We obtained routine semen parameters, seminal plasma biochemical markers and the levels of reproductive hormones in the subjects, and observed the changes in sperm structure under the scanning electron microscope and transmission electron microscope. Compared with the normal control, the VC patients showed significantly decreased sperm concentration, sperm progressive motility, sperm viability (P < 0.05), but no remarkable difference in semen volume and non-progressive motility (P > 0.05). The concentrations of zinc and alpha-glycoside enzyme in the seminal plasma were markedly reduced in the VC group in comparison with the controls (P < 0.05), but there was no significant difference in the level of fructose (P > 0.05), nor in such seminal plasma biochemical markers as FSH,