Significance of simultaneous determination of serum and seminal plasma alpha-tocopherol and retinol in infertile men by high-performance liquid chromatography

High-performance liquid chromatography was used for the simultaneous determ ination of alpha-tocopherol and retinol in serum and semen of 40 subfertile men. The serum levels of the two vitamins were significantly higher in ser um than in semen (3- to 10-fold) (P<0.001). The mean alpha-tocopherol level s were higher in the serum and semen of men with normal sperm parameters (2 0+/-5 and 5+/-4 mu mol L-1) than those with oligozoospermia (10+/-4 and 3+/ -2 mu mol L-1), azoospermia (8+/-3 and 3+/-1 mu mol L-1) and asthenozoosper mia (9+/-6 and 3+/-2 mu mol L-1) (P<0.002), Mean retinol levels in serum we re similar in men with normal sperm parameters (2.4+/-2 mu mol L-1) as in t hose with defective sperm parameters such as oligozoospermia (2.5+/-2 mu mo l L-1) and asthenozoospermia (2.1+/-1.0 mu mol L-1) (P=0.15), but significa ntly lower in men with azoospermia (1.3+/-0.3 mu mol L-1) (P<0.05). The alp ha-tocopherol retinol ratio was significantly higher in semen than in serum of men with normal sperm parameters (11.5) and those with asthenozoospermi a (10.3) compared with ratios in these with oligozoospermia (8.3) and azoos permia (6.3). This may be related to reduced antioxidant activity in sperm dysfunction as a result of lipid peroxidation, from increased generation of reactive oxygen species.