Abstract. The male infertility factor accounts for almost 50% of all infertile couples. Calcium ions (Ca 2+ ) are an important factor that affects the sperm quality and plays a significant role in the reproductive process of men. Ca 2+ , as an intracellular and universal second messenger, is crucial for maximal sperm motility, capacitation, hyperactivation, acrosome reaction, chemotaxis, and fertilization processes. The aim of present work was to study the Ca 2+ ,Mg 2+ -ATPase activity of spermatozoa of infertile men with idiopathic infertility and concomitant autoimmune joint pathology. Diagnosis of infertility was carried out at the outpatient stage in accordance with the standards of the European Association of Urologists and WHO. 53 men (group 1) were diagnosed with «idiopathic infertility» caused by oligoasthenozoospermia. At the same time, 27 infertile men examined in the rheumatology department were diagnosed with «rheumatoid arthritis» (group 2). It was found that the thapsigargin-resistant Ca 2+ ,Mg 2+ -ATPase activity of spermatozoa of healthy men was (9.2±1.1) nmol Pi/min per mg of protein. In patients with idiopathic infertility caused by oligoasthenozoospermia, the Ca 2+ ,Mg 2+ -ATPase activity was 2.2 times lower compared to normozoospermic samples (p<0.001). In infertile men with autoimmune pathology of the joints, Ca 2+ , Mg 2+ -ATPase activity of spermatozoa was decreased 2.4 times compared to the control values (p<0.001) and equalled to (3.8±0.4) nmol Pi/min per 1 mg of protein. In men with normozoospermia, sperm motility was (50.7±5.2)%, in idiopathic infertility – (31.4±5.6) %, and in patients with infertility in combination with autoimmune pathology of the joints – (42.2±5.2)%. A direct significant correlation was established between the thapsigargin-resistant Ca 2+ , Mg 2+ -ATPase activity of spermatozoa and sperm motility (r= 0.55; p<0.05).

Article received: 17.04.2023

Keywords: male infertility, spermatozoa, Ca 2+ , Mg 2+ -ATPase, rheumatoid arthritis

Full text: PDF (Ukr)

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