Seminal prostaglandins in infertile men.

The concentration of prostaglandin E (PGE) was measured in the semen of 5 men of proven fertility and in 12 men of couples who were infertile but in whom no abnormality had been detected by conventional semen analysis, postcoital test of sperm motility, endometrial biopsy, and laparoscopic dye insufflation of the fallopian tubes. In the fertile men the mean PGE concentration was 52.7 +/- 9.9 mug/ml, and in infertile men the concentration was 22.1 +/- 2.76 mug/ml; the difference between the two groups was highly significant (P less than 0.001). In five of the infertile men attempts were made to raise the PGE concentration by the administration of either corn oil, which contains the prostaglandin precursor linoleic acid, or caffeine, which inhibits prostaglandin degradation; the response to both agents was insignificant.