Preoperative and postoperative seminal nitric oxide levels in patients with infertile varicocele

In vitro studies have shown that nitric oxide (NO), inhibits sperm motility at high concentrations. In this study we aimed to determine the NO levels in the seminal fluid of patients with infertile varicocele both pre and postoperatively and in the control group, and compare the results. 20 men with varicocele presented to our clinic for primary infertility and 15 normal fertile men as controls were involved to study. NO levels in the seminal fluid were determined as the total nitrite by Griess reaction and results were compared with Mann-Whitney U test. Preoperative and postoperative mean seminal fluid NO levels in patients with varicocele were 114.82 +/- 33.02 micromol/L and 93.17 +/- 27.24 micromol/L, respectively. In the control group it was 89.4 +/- 20.82 micromol/L. There was a statistically significant different between mean preoperative and postoperative seminal NO levels (p < 0.05), whereas there was no significant difference between mean postoperative seminal NO levels and that of control group (p > 0.05). According to the results of present study, an increase in the level of seminal NO levels may play a role in the sperm dysfunction in infertile patients with varicocele.