Abstract
Background: Lipids play an important role in the functional activity of sperm cells.
Objectives: The main goal of this study was to assess the correlation between the levels of cholesterol, phospholipids and triacylglycerols found in serum, with the lipid levels of semen in infertile men.
Patients and Methods: Cholesterol, phospholipids and triacylglycerols in sperm cells, seminal plasma and serum were assayed in 60 infertile men.
Results: There were no significant relationships between the concentration of sperm and seminal plasma cholesterol with serum cholesterol (r = 0.003, P = 0.9 and r = 0.055, P = 0.67, respectively), between the concentration of sperm and seminal plasma triglycerides with serum triglycerides (r = 0.16, P = 0.2 and r = - 0.039, P = 0.77, respectively), or between the concentration of sperm and seminal plasma phospholipids with serum phospholipids (r = 0.18, P = 0.16 and r = 0.053, P = 0.69, respectively).
Conclusions: These results suggest that serum cholesterol, phospholipids and triacylglycerols have no effect on the levels of cholesterol, phospholipids and triacylglycerols of spermatozoa and seminal plasma. Our findings suggest that sperm lipid content is regulated locally within the male reproductive tract.