Sperm Quality and Seminal Biochemical Parameters in Infertile Men with and without Leukocytospermia

Abstract

Objective: White Blood Cells (WBC) are commonly present in almost every human semen sample, but the clinical significance of leukocytospermia, defined as more than 1 × 106/mL of WBC in seminal plasma, is not elucidated. The aim of this study was to evaluate the association of the leukocytospermia with sperm characteristics and biochemical markers of function of the male accessory glands in infertile men. Methods: One hundred and eighty-five men with fertility problems were investigated. They were composed of two groups, patients without leukocytospermia (n=115) and patients with leukocytospermia (n=70). The infertile men enrolled in the study underwent semen analysis and measurements of fructose, acid-phosphatase, zinc and γ- glutamyltranspeptidase in seminal plasma. Results: The mean age of study participants was 33.97 ± 6.45 years. The analysis of leukocyte concentration in semen has shown that 70 (37.8%) patients had leukocytospermia. Patients with leukocytospermia had significantly decreased sperm count and vitality while other sperm parameters such as seminal volume, progressive motility, morphology of pathological forms and seminal plasma pH were not affected. The levels of acid-phosphatase, fructose and γ-glutamyltranspeptidase were significantly decreased in infertile men with leukocytospermia compared to men without this condition. The levels of seminal zinc did not differ between the two groups of patients. Conclusion: Our results indicate that leukocytospermia has a significant negative effect on the standard semen parameters and biochemical compounds that reflect the function of accessory glands, prostate and seminal vesicles in particular.