Activity of superoxide dismutase and catalase and content of malondialdehyde in seminal plasma of infertile patients

The reactive oxygen species, the highly reactive metabolites of oxygen, play a crucial role in both the normal function and the metabolism of sperm cells. Oxygen radicals achieve their physiological effects in the cells only if there is a proper balance between their production and degradation. In case of radicals' production exceeding the antioxidant capacity of the semen, there is an oxidative damage of the membrane lipids and proteins as well as the DNA damage followed by the fragmentation and decondensation of DNA. The ejaculates were obtained from seventy-seven infertile and fertile healthy individuals. The semen samples were collected and classified according to the WHO criteria. The activities of superoxide dismutase and catalase as well as the concentration of malondialdehyde were measured spectrophotometrically. The fertile, healthy donors showed the significantly higher activities of both superoxide dismutase and catalase, as well as the lower concentration of malondialdehyde compared to the infertile donors. The activities of superoxide dismutase and catalase, as well as the HOS test, correlated positively with the sperm cell number, but negatively with the concentration of malondialdehyde. The activity of superoxide dismutase and the concentration of malondialdehyde were highest in the group of patients with the lowest success of the HOS test. The assessment of the antioxidant enzymes and malondialdehyde in addition to the semen analysis and the HOS test may be greatly useful in diagnosing infertility in men having oxidative stress in their etiology.