Sperm motility and interactions among seminal uridine, xanthine, urate, and ATPase in fertile and infertile men.

Semen was collected under standardized conditions from men who were divided into three groups: a control group from normal spermiograms, men with abnormal spermiograms, and azoospermic men following vasectomy. Ultracentrifuged seminal plasma was analyzed for uridine, xanthine, urate, and the pelleted material for Mg2+- and Ca2+-dependent ATPase and protein. No significant intergroup differences were noted except the significant elevation of xanthine of vasectomized men. Uridine that occurs in high concentration in seminal plasma displayed a positive correlation to percentage motile sperms from the 26 men with normal and abnormal spermiograms. It was concluded that an optimal secretory function of uridine may parallel the increasing percentage of sperm with a better quality of motility. A linear relationship between ATPase activity and sperm penetration ability existed only when taken into consideration those 13 specimens with lowest enzyme activity.