Sanada S, Yoshida O
Hinyokika Kiyo. 1985 Nov;31(11):1971-87.
The exact relationship between seminal plasma zinc and fertility is not known. Zinc is secreted mainly by the prostate, and zinc concentration in seminal plasma is regarded as an excellent indicator of prostatic secretory function. However, low zinc concentration may result not only from poor secretory function of the prostate but also from dilution due to excessive secretion of seminal vesicular fluid. This assumption is supported by the present result that zinc concentration was inversely correlated with fructose concentration. Therefore zinc concentration is thought to reflect prostatic function in proportion to seminal vesicular function. Total amount of zinc in seminal plasma seems to be an appropriate indicator for prostatic secretory function. In the present study, concentrations and total amount of zinc were examined in seminal plasma of men with various fertility problems. There were no significant differences between men with normal spermodiagram and those with abnormal spermodiagram, seminal inflammation or varicocele in concentration or total amount of zinc. No changes were observed in any of them after various therapies including oral zinc sulfate. However, the percentage of men with normal spermodiagram was low in the group with extremely low or high zinc concentration and total sperm count tended to increase with increase in total amount of zinc. Furthermore, the spermatozoal motility was better in the prostatic fraction than in the vesicular fraction of split ejaculates, and the percentage of men with decreased motility and normal sperm concentration was significantly high in the group with lower zinc concentration or decreased total amount of zinc. These observations indicate that prostatic secretion has a stimulatory effect on spermatozoal motility. The secretory activities of the prostate and the seminal vesicle are generally known to be closely controlled by androgens, but our findings indicate that the secretory functions of these accessory organs are independent because there was no correlation between total amount of zinc and fructose. Analysis of the relative concentrations in prostatic secretion, split ejaculates, and seminal plasma confirmed an almost exclusively prostatic origin of zinc. As part of the routine andrologic examination, measurement of concentration and total amount of zinc in seminal plasma is useful for evaluating prostatic function, but measurement of acid phosphatase, magnesium, calcium or potassium will provide almost as much information, since they also seem to be secreted primarily by the prostate.
精浆锌与生育能力之间的确切关系尚不清楚。锌主要由前列腺分泌，精浆中的锌浓度被视为前列腺分泌功能的一个极佳指标。然而，锌浓度低不仅可能是由于前列腺分泌功能差，还可能是由于精囊液分泌过多导致的稀释。锌浓度与果糖浓度呈负相关这一结果支持了这一假设。因此，锌浓度被认为按精囊功能的比例反映前列腺功能。精浆中锌的总量似乎是前列腺分泌功能的一个合适指标。在本研究中，对患有各种生育问题的男性的精浆中的锌浓度和总量进行了检测。精子图正常的男性与精子图异常、患有精囊炎或精索静脉曲张的男性在锌浓度或总量上没有显著差异。在包括口服硫酸锌在内的各种治疗后，他们中任何一项都没有观察到变化。然而，在锌浓度极低或极高的组中，精子图正常的男性比例较低，并且总精子数倾向于随着锌总量的增加而增加。此外，在分段射精中，前列腺部分的精子活力比精囊部分更好，并且在锌浓度较低或锌总量减少的组中，精子活力降低且精子浓度正常的男性比例显著较高。这些观察结果表明前列腺分泌对精子活力有刺激作用。一般认为前列腺和精囊的分泌活动受雄激素密切控制，但我们的研究结果表明这些附属器官分泌功能是独立的，因为锌总量与果糖之间没有相关性。对前列腺分泌液、分段射精和精浆中相对浓度的分析证实锌几乎完全来源于前列腺。作为常规男科检查的一部分，测量精浆中锌的浓度和总量有助于评估前列腺功能，但测量酸性磷酸酶、镁、钙或钾也能提供几乎同样多的信息，因为它们似乎也主要由前列腺分泌。
