[Human semen lactate dehydrogenase isoenzymes in fertility studies (author's transl)]

The lactate dehydrogenase isoenzyme pattern has been obtained in the semen of 87 males undergoing fertility studies. The proportion of LDH-X, the isoenzyme specific to the spermatozoa, is reduced in proportion to the reduction of the sperm density and motility. LDH-X is the most abundant isoenzyme in the semen of normospermic subjects. As to the other isoenzymes, the most abundant ones are the LDH-2 and the LDH-3. The results obtained lead us to conclude that the measurement of the lactate dehydrogenase isoenzymes may be useful in studies of fertility as an indicative parameter of the quality of the semen.