A FURTHER STUDY OF SEMINAL PLASMA - LACTATE-DEHYDROGENASE AND LACTATEDEHYDROGENASE-X ACTIVITIES AND DILUTED SEMEN ABSORBENCY

Activities of total lactate dehydrogenase, which plays an important ro le in providing energy for cell metabolism, lactate dehydrogenase-X, a n isoenzyme of lactate dehydrogenase supposed to be specific for germi nal epithelium activity, diluted semen absorbance and some other prope rties have been measured in 51 seminal plasma samples. Aiming to study its clinical use as a marker of seminiferous epithelium activity, det ermination of isoenzyme-X and investigation of correlation between it and the spermiogram properties were carried out. Besides lactate dehyd rogenase and lactate dehydrogenase-X activity, their ratio and diluted semen absorbance were correlated with the different properties of the spermiogram, the best correlation of the enzymes being obtained with the total sperm count and motile sperm count. Correlation of diluted s emen absorbance with the total sperm count and motile sperm count was also noted, whereas it did not correlate with sperm concentration and motility rate. The data suggests the clinical utility of these propert ies as reliable markers for both germinal activity and spermatozoid qu ality when ''total sperm count'' and ''motile sperm count'' are used t o define sperm properties instead of just sperm concentration and moti lity rate.