Seminal plasma levels of fucosyltransferase, galactosyltransferase and sialyltransferase in normospermic and oligospermic men.

The activities of fucosyltransferase, galactosyltransferase, and sialyltransferase were estimated in ultracentrifuged seminal plasma samples from normospermic and oligospermic men. There was no significant difference with regard to these activities between the two groups. Hence, fucosyltransferase activity was high in both normospermic (mean value: 190.2 nmol/l) and oligospermic men (mean value: 157.2 nmol/l) and exceeded that of blood plasma (mean value: 7.6 nmol/l) by 20-25 times. On the contrary, the activity ratio between seminal plasma and blood plasma of galactosyltransferase and sialyltransferase was low and fairly close to 1. A significant correlation was noted between seminal plasma galactosyltransferase activity and semen volume only in normospermic men. Significant inverse correlations in oligospermic men were observed between seminal plasma sialyltransferase activity and sperm concentration (and total sperm count) as well as between galactosyltransferase and fucosyltransferase activities.