Sperm Creatine Phosphokinase Activity as a Measure of Sperm Quality in Normospermic, Variablespermic, and Oligospermic Men1

Abstract

We have found a significant inverse correlation between sperm concentrations and sperm creatine N-phosphotransferase (CPK) activities in oligospermic and normospermic human specimens. In the present work, we carried out serial CPK determinations to assess whether there is a relationship between fluctuating sperm concentrations and sperm quality in consistently oligospermic and variablespermic (sperm concentrations are occasionally in the > 20 million/ml range) husbands of 65 couples (23 normospermic men/51 samples, 25 consistently oligospermic men/80 samples, and 17 variablespermic men/68 samples). The sperm CPK activities were significantly lower in the normospermic vs. the oligospermic or variablespermic groups (p < 0.001), but there were no differences between the latter two (p > 0.25). Themean CPK values of migrated sperm fractions in both the oligospermic and variablespermic populations were improved (at least 20% decline in CPK values) compared to those of the initial specimens (1.27 .+-. 0.38 vs. 0.68 .+-. 0.37 and 0.77 .+-. 0.32 vs. 0.46 .+-. 0.24 SEM U/100 million sperm, respectively, p < 0.001 in both pairs) and the incidence of the "failed-to-improve" samples was also similar in the two groups (44/36 vs. 45/23, p < 0.2). The lack of differences in the mean CDP acvities, in the distribution of CPK values under and over 0.250 U/100 million sperm level, and in the ratio of migrated samples with improved or with failed-to-improve CPK activities suggests that sperm quality is not different between men who are consistently oligospermic and those who occasionally produce normospermic specimens. CPK determinations and similar biochemical measurements probing for the presence of a sperm fraction similar to that of fertile normospermic men will facilitate the evaluation and management of oligospermic patients.