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[Seminal plasma angiotensin II detection and its clinical implication]
Song Zheng1, Zheng Li, Yi-Xin Wang
1Department of Urology, Union Hospital, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou 350001, China.
Objective:
To investigate the variation of seminal plasma angiotension II (Ang II) in infertile men and its clinical implication.
Methods:
Ang II values in paired blood plasma and seminal plasma from 43 infertile men(13 azoospermia, 8 asthenozoopermia, 17 asthenozoospermia and 5 cases with normal semen parameters) and 10 normal controls were obtained by SPE-HPLC-RIA. All semen samples with spermatozoa were analyzed by CASA for sperm count, motility and other parameters. Acrosome reaction rate (AR) was assessed by triple-stain.
Results:
The mean concentration of seminal plasma Ang II was 4 times as high as that of blood plasma in all patients and controls (P < 0.01), but there was no correlation between them. The seminal plasma Ang II of azoospermic patients was higher than that of other infertile men and controls(P < 0.05), but no difference was found between the latter two groups. There was no correlation between seminal plasma Ang II values and other traditional parameters of sperm together with AR.
Conclusions:
Seminal plasma Ang II may be secreted locally in male reproductive tract. In addition to testis and epididymis, prostate and/or seminal vesicle may also be the source of it. The reason why seminal plasma Ang II of azoospermic patients is higher than that of others remains unknown. Further study is required to clarify the exact role of seminal plasma Ang II in the mechanisms of male fertility regulation.