Association between Seminal Plasma Creatine Kinase Activity and Body Mass Index among Males Investigated for Infertility

Abstract

Obesity is a neglected risk factor for male infertility, although its impact on male infertility is still controversial. Defects in sperm cell development may cause adverse effects on enzyme activities in the seminal fluid. The objective of this study was to assess the relationship between seminal plasma creatine kinase (CK) activity, malondialdehyde (MDA), and body mass index (BMI) among males investigated for infertility. A total of 185 men, age range 26-60yrs were randomly recruited from among subjects investigated for infertility. Anthropometric data and semen analysis were measured according to the World Health Organization guidelines. Seminal plasma CK and MDA were determined using the spectrophotometric method. Continuous data were analyzed using chi-square while Student’s-test and analysis of variance (ANOVA) were used to analyze discrete variables. Pearson correlation coefficient was used to determine the association between measured variables. The results indicate that 68(36.8%) of the study participants had normal BMI while 55(29.7%) and 62(33.5%) were overweight and obese respectively. Of the 185 infertile men evaluated, 110(59.5%) were normozoospermia, 45(24.3%) were mild oligozoospermia, 12(6.5%) were severe oligozoospermia while 18(9.7%) were azoospermia. Seminal plasma CK activity and MDA concentration increased with decreasing sperm quality parameters and increasing BMI. Body mass index correlated positively (R=0.669, p<0.001) with CK activity and MDA (R=0.619, p<0.001). The findings indicate adverse effects of BMI on sperm quality parameters, CK activity, and lipid peroxidation of seminal fluid. Obesity may have a negative impact on male fertility and weight reduction among infertile men may improve fertility, general health, and well-being.