[Pathophysiology of Semen Parameter Deterioration Associated with Varicocele --Evaluation of Total Antioxidant Capacity in Seminal Plasma and Serum-].

Varicocele is a frequent cause of male infertility. On the contrary, the majority of men who have varicocele show normal semen parameters. This study aimed to clarify the pathophysiology of abnormal semen findings associated with varicocele by evaluating the total antioxidant capacity in seminal plasma and serum. Sixty patients with clinical varicocele were included in this study. Of the 60 patients, 22 men had scrotal pain caused by varicocele with normal semen parameters, and 38 men had abnormal semen parameters as defined by the 2010 World Health Organization criteria. Before the investigation, semen samples were collected. Total antioxidant capacity in serum and seminal plasma was analyzed by colorimetric assay and the relationship between semen parameters and total antioxidant capacity was evaluated. Positive associations were found between antioxidant capacity in seminal plasma and concentration (r＝0.364, P＝0.004), motility (r＝0.254, P＝0.050), and total motile sperm count (r＝0.468, P＜0.001). In multivariate analysis, higher total motile sperm count showed a significant positive relationship with higher total antioxidant capacity in seminal plasma (P＝0.001). Our results indicated that the total antioxidant capacity of seminal plasma might affect varicocele-related male infertility.