Comparison of Seminal Plasma Total Antioxidant Capacity in Human Semen with Hyperviscosity and Non-Hyperviscosity

Several factors have influence on sperm fertilization, between them semen hyperviscosity is one of the idiopathic factors involved in sperm viability and function deficiency. Probably, decrease in human seminal antioxidants is one of the negative effects of hyperviscosity on sperm function. The aim of this study was to compare the total antioxidant activity (TAC) in seminal plasma of infertile patients with hyperviscosity and non- hyperviscosity. In this cross sectional study, 47 semen samples were provided from infertile patients with hyperviscosity (n=22) and without hyperviscosity (n=25) at Fatemeh Zahra Infertility and Health Reproductive Research Center. After determine the semen hyperviscosity by measuring the length of the thread on withdrawal of the rod, sperm parameters (volume, sperm counts, motility and normal morphology) were evaluated on microscopic examination. TAC was measured in all samples by FRAP method and compared. The mean of sperm parameters including: counts (29.32 ± 25.35), motility (30.95 ± 19.11) and normal morphology (4.23 ± 2.5) in patients with hyperviscosity were significantly lower than those in non-hyperviscosity patients (counts 46.80 ± 26.29, motility (52.8 ± 15.41) and normal morphology (7.56 ± 3.16)) (p<0.02, p<0.001 and p<0.001, respectively). The mean of TAC in seminal plasma of non- hyperviscosity patients (1710.31 ± 458.67µmol/l) was significantly higher than that of hyperviscosity group (1230.25 ± 352 µmol/l) (p<0.01). Our results showed that there is a positive significant correlation between TAC and sperm parameters quality. Decrease in TAC concentration in seminal plasma of patients with hyperviscosity is one of the probability mechanisms for sperm parameters abnormality.