Assessment of Seminal Biomarker of Lipid peroxidation among Male Partners of Infertile couples at the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital, Nigeria

Background: Seminal fluid analysis (SFA) is the most important investigation of infertile males. It is however limited in revealing the aetiologies of the various spermatozoa abnormalities observed on microscopy. Increasing prevalence of male infertility and the challenges of diagnosis require biochemical investigations, such as assay of seminal malondialdehyde (MDA), a marker of sperm peroxidation and to support SFA in investigation of infertile males. Aims: The aim of this study was to determine the seminal level of biomarker of lipid peroxidation by measuring seminal MDA levels among infertile males in Ilorin. Settings and Design: This was a descriptive cross-sectional study. Subjects and Methods: One hundred and thirty infertile males served as patients and 50 fertile males as controls. Seminal MDA was assayed using ELISA method. Statistical Analysis Used: Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 20.0 (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA) was used. Normally distributed data were expressed as mean +/- standard deviation. Results: The mean age of the patients who were mainly civil servants was 38.6 +/- 6.6 years compared to 37.0 +/- 5.8 years among controls. Seminal MDA was significantly higher among infertile males in this study (P < 0.05) indicating higher degree of lipid peroxidation in their semen. Seminal MDA concentrations were found to be significantly higher among infertile males with a history of alcohol consumption (P < 0.05), cigarette smoking (P < 0.001) and sexually transmitted infections (P < 0.001) when compared to control with similar history. Conclusions: There is significant lipid peroxidation of spermatozoa among infertile males with lifestyle playing a significant role. Evaluation of infertile males should include assessment of seminal MDA. Prophylactic administration of antioxidants to this group of patients may be beneficial.