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L-Carnitine Level in Seminal Plasma of Fertile and Infertile Men

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Background: To determine any correlation between infertility and semen quality with concentrations of L-camitine in human seminal plasma. Methods: This case-control study performed in Fatemieh Hospital in Hamadan, Iran. Seminal plasma of 72 infertile men and 80 men with proved fertility as a control group was investigated and L-carnitine level was determined usingUV enzymatic test at 340 nm. Results: The concentration of L-camitine was significantly lower in the infertile group compared with control group (80.59±56.43 mg/1 versus 108.43±42.26 mg/1; P= 0.0009). There was also a statistically significant positive correlation between seminal plasma L-carnitine concentration, total sperm count, and the percentage of motile sperm (P= 0.0009, and P= 0.0000, respectively). Conclusion: These finding suggest that the determination of seminal plasmaL-camitine level may be a useful test in evaluation ofmale infertility.

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