The effects of NOS isoforms in human normospermia, asthenospermia and oligospermia cases

Abstract

Male factor infertility accounts for up to half of all case of infertility and affects 1 in 20 men in the general population. Evidence now suggests that reactive oxygen species (ROS) mediated damages to sperm is a significant contributing pathology in 30-80% of all cases (1). The highly biologically active free radical is nitric oxide (NO) (2). NO is known to play important functional roles in a variety of physiological system as well as in the male reproductive system. In this study we aimed to examine both inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and endothelial NOS (eNOS) isoforms by using immunohistochemistry methods in human normospermia, asthenospermia and oligospermia groups and also determined nitrite/nitrate concentrations in the seminal plasma.