A. Mancini et al., Seminal coenzyme Q10: antioxidant properties and involvement in male infertility, 10TH WORLD CONGRESS ON HUMAN REPRODUCTION, 1999, pp. 239-243
Coenzyme Q(10) was assayed in total seminal fluid and in seminal plasma in
97 patients with normal or pathological findings at standard semen analysis
. CoQ(10) showed a direct correlation with seminal parameters (sperm count
and motility). In patients with varicocele, the correlation with sperm coun
t was preserved. but on the contrary the correlation with sperm motility wa
s lacking. In the patients, who underwent surgical treatment for varicocele
, a trend toward lowering of plasma CoQ(10) was observed. This phenomenon,
although not significant in this group of patients, could indicate a partia
l reversibility of the altered distribution of the coenzyme. This datum nee
ds therefore to be further investigated. Taken together, our results sugges
t a pathophysiological meaning of CoQ(10) in human seminal fluid as defence
of the cell from free-radical damage and a possible molecular defect in va
ricocele patients, a rationale might arise for a possible treatment with ex
ogenous CoQ(10) in dyspermic patients.