High levels of lipid peroxidation in semen of diabetic patients

The aim of this study was to evaluate the level of malondialdehyde (MDA) (one of the final products of lipid peroxidation and well-known marker of oxidative stress) in semen of infertile men with type 2 diabetes and to investigate its relationship with their glycaemic control. Forty infertile men with type 2 diabetes were evaluated. The mean ages were 36.5 +/- 8.0. Men with diabetes were divided into two groups. Group A (n = 20) with glycated haemoglobin >10% and group B (n = 20) with glycated haemoglobin <7%. A single sample was examined according to the criteria of the World Health Organization (WHO Laboratory Manual for the Examination of Human Semen and Sperm-Cervical Mucus Interaction, 1999, Cambridge University Press). MDA was assessed using the thiobarbituric acid method. MDA concentration in semen of group A patients (0.95 +/- 0.35 nmol ml-1) was significantly higher than in group B patients (0.43 +/- 0.13 nmol ml-1) (P value < 0.05) and had negative relationship with sperm density (r = -.717; P value < 0.05), total sperm count (r = -.625; P value < 0.05), progressive motility (r = -.489; P value < 0.05) and normal forms (r = -.545; P value < 0.05). Based on these results, it could be concluded that increase in lipid peroxidation in men with diabetes with poor metabolic control was associated with low sperm quality.