Status of vitamin E and reduced glutathione in semen of oligozoospermic and azoospermic patients

Aim: To investigate the status of seminal plasma reduced glutathione (GSH) and vitamin E in three different conditions of spermatogenesis: azoospermia, oligozoospermia and normospermia. Methods: Reduced glutathione was measured in the seminal plasma by the method of Moron et al (1979), and vitamin E estimation was performed by the method of Taylor et al (1976). Results: Vitamin E levels in seminal plasma of oligospermic and azoospermic samples were significantly decreased to 65.54% and 66.04% respectively as compared to the normospermic group. Levels of reduced glutathione were also significantly decreased in oligospermic and azoospermic group, and the reduction in azoospermic group (76.73%) was more pronounced than oligozoospermic group (62.07%). Conclusion: The decrease in reduced glutathione, an endogenous antioxidant, levels in azoospermic and oligozoospermic conditions may cause disruption in the membrane integrity of spermatozoa as a consequence of increased oxidative stress.