linoleic-acid and Infertility--Male

We recently introduced reduced glutathione into the therapeutic protocols in some selected cases of dyspermia. This therapy improved semen quality both in a pilot follow-up study and in a double-blind cross-over trial. This improvement was seen in patients with varicocele and germ-free genital tract inflammation, two pathologies in which production of reactive oxygen species or other toxic compounds could have a pathogenic role. Polyunsaturated fatty acids of phospholipids play a major role in membrane constitution and function and are one of the main targets of the lipoperoxidative process. Therefore, to understand the therapeutic action of reduced glutathione, we selected infertile patients and studied the modifications produced by the therapy in seminal parameters, biochemical sperm membrane parameters, and the pattern of fatty acids of phospholipids from blood serum and red blood cell membranes (a model widely accepted as representative of general cell membrane status). The results showed an improvement in both sperm parameters and cell membrane characteristics. This study suggests that biochemical modifications in membrane constitution could explain the seminal results of glutathione therapy. On the other hand, it seems likely that only subjects with systemic membrane disturbances associated with andrological pathologies express this membrane damage in spermatozoa, resulting in dyspermia. This sperm alteration can be partially reversed by glutathione therapy if the structural cell membrane damage is not too severe.

Topics: Adult; Arachidonic Acid; Cell Membrane; Erythrocyte Membrane; Erythrocytes; Fatty Acids, Unsaturated; Genital Diseases, Male; Glutathione; Humans; Infertility, Male; Inflammation; Linoleic Acid; Linoleic Acids; Lipid Peroxidation; Male; Oxidation-Reduction; Phospholipids; Pilot Projects; Spermatozoa; Varicocele

The lipid composition of the sperm membrane has been shown to exert a significant effect upon the functional quality of spermatozoa. We have studied fatty acid composition of the phospholipids in spermatozoa in asthenozoospermic and normozoospermic men and determined the ratio of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) to saturated fatty acids of spermatozoa of these two groups. Fatty acid concentration of spermatozoa was determined in 15 asthenozoospermic and eight normozoospermic semen samples by thin layer chromatography and gas chromatography. The most abundant polyunsaturated and saturated fatty acids in normozoospermic samples were docosahexaenoic acid (DHA 22 : 6 omega3, 98.5 +/- 4.5 nmol per 10(8) spermatozoa, mean +/- SE) and palmitic acid (103 +/- 17 nmol per 10(8) spermatozoa) respectively. The mean +/- SE values of DHA and palmitic acid in asthenozoospermic samples were 53.9 +/- 11.6 and 145 +/- 14.7 nmol per 10(8) spermatozoa respectively. Compared with normozoospermic samples, asthenozoospermic samples showed lower levels of PUFA and higher amount of saturated fatty acids. The mean +/- SE ratios of sperm PUFA/saturated fatty acids in asthenozoospermic and normozoospermic samples were 0.66 +/- 0.06 and 1.45 +/- 0.16 (P < 0.001) respectively. This study demonstrates that spermatozoa of asthenozoospermic men have lower levels of PUFA compared with saturated fatty acids. This may be contributory to the poor motility noted in samples from these men.

Topics: Adult; alpha-Linolenic Acid; Arachidonic Acid; Docosahexaenoic Acids; Fatty Acids; Fatty Acids, Unsaturated; Humans; Infertility, Male; Linoleic Acid; Male; Myristic Acid; Palmitic Acid; Spermatozoa; Stearic Acids