Background and Objectives: sperm motility mainly depends on aerobic glycolysis, and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) is a key enzyme in the last step of this process. On the other hand, fructose is considered as the main energy source for sperm motility. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the LDH activity and fructose levels and their correlation with sperm motion parameters in normospermic and asthenozospermic males.Methods: In this case-control study, 96 normospermic and 96 asthenozospermic males were enrolled. The semen samples were analyzed by computer assisted semen analysis to identify sperm motion parameters. Seminal plasma fructose levels were measured using Seliwanoff's test. LDH activity in the samples was evaluated using commercially available kits. The obtained data were analyzed by SPSS software (version 16).Results: The levels of LDH activity and fructose concentration were not different between the two groups. There was no correlation found between LDH activity and fructose concentration or sperm motility parameters. However, LDH was significantly correlated with sperm concentration in both groups.Conclusion: Although LDH activity and fructose levels seem to be influenced by sperm motility, other factors such as sperm concentration and total sperm count can also affect their seminal plasma levels. Thus, when the sperm concentrations are equal in study groups, the level of these factors are expected to be equal.Keywords: Lactate Dehydrogenase, Fructose, Sperm Motility, CASA. two groups based on the results of their spermiogram. The subjects were matched in terms of age to prevent the confounding role of age in interpretation of results. The inclusion criteria consisted of the following: Total volume >2 ml, sperm concentration > 20×10 6 sperm/ml, and total sperm count > 40×10 6 . The exclusion criteria consisted of the following: Leukocytospermia (more than 1×10 6 leukocytes/ml of ejaculation), the presence of blood, mucosa, and pus in samples, and the period of more than 2 hours from sampling until analysis.
Evaluation of LDH Activity and Its Relationship with Fructose Levels in Seminal Plasma of Normospermic and Asthenospermic Males
Sample selectionThe samples with normal morphology (more than 30% of whole sperms) and normal concentration (more than 20×10 6 sperm/ml) with motility rate problems (total motility < 50%) were considered as the case group, while the samples with normal morphology, normal concentration, and normal motility rate (total motility > 50%) were considered as the control group.
Semen analysisThe semen samples were collected in sterile containers by masturbation after a sexual abstinence period of 3-7 days. Volume of the ejaculates was measured immediately and the samples were incubated at 37°C for 15-60 minutes (liquefaction process). The unliquefied samples were excluded from the study. Manual semen analysis and computer aided/assisted semen analysis