Seminal oxidative stress in patients with chronic prostatitis.

Area of Science:

• Reproductive Medicine
• Urology
• Andrology

Background:

• Prostatitis is linked to abnormal semen parameters, including impaired sperm motility and sperm antibodies.
• Seminal oxidative stress, characterized by elevated Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) or reduced Total Anti-oxidant Capacity, is increasingly recognized in prostatitis patients.
• The precise role of prostatitis as a cause of male infertility remains debated.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between prostatitis and seminal oxidative stress.
• To evaluate the impact of prostatitis-induced oxidative stress on sperm quality and male infertility.
• To synthesize current research on prostatitis, seminal oxidative stress, and their effects on semen parameters.

Main Methods:

• Review of studies investigating semen parameters in patients with prostatitis.
• Analysis of seminal oxidative stress markers (ROS, Total Anti-oxidant Capacity) in prostatitis patients.
• Comparison of oxidative stress levels in prostatitis patients with those in infertile men without prostatitis.

Main Results:

• Patients with prostatitis exhibit abnormal semen parameters, including reduced sperm motility and increased sperm antibodies.
• Significant seminal oxidative stress is observed in both bacterial and abacterial prostatitis, comparable to levels in recognized infertility.
• Elevated ROS levels can occur even without leucocytospermia, suggesting other sources of oxidative stress.

Conclusions:

• Prostatitis is a plausible contributing factor to male infertility through the induction of seminal oxidative stress.
• Seminal oxidative stress, potentially originating from prostatic inflammation, may impair sperm function and affect fertility outcomes.
• Further research is needed to definitively establish prostatitis as a risk factor for infertility and clarify the causal role of seminal oxidative stress.