Background. One of the most important antioxidant defence mechanism in spermatozoa is the gluthatione system which includes glutathione peroxidase (GPx), glutathione reductase (GR), glutathione S-transferase (GST) and reduced glutathione (GSH). It is promising to use ROC analysis, which allows to assessing the diagnostic sensitivity and specificity of indicators.
Materials and methods. Infertile men were divided into 3 groups: patients with oligozoospermia (n = 30), asthenozoospermia (n = 34), and oligoasthenozoospermia (n = 22). To assess the diagnostic sensitivity and specificity of indicators, the values of the biomarkers were tested using the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, and the area under it (AUC), the standard error (SE) and the 95% confidence interval (CI 95%) were calculated.
Results. The ROC analysis showed that GP activity was characterized by excellent diagnostic significance for diagnosing both oligozoospermia and asthenozoospermia (the sensitivity was 100%, and specificity – 100%). The GR activity has moderate diagnostic significance, since the AUC is 0.654 (95% CI from 0.503 to 0.785, P = 0.0645) for oligozoospermic, the AUC is 0.612 (95% CI from 0.454 to 0.7555, P = 0.1979) for asthenozoospermic men. The analysis of the ROC curve revealed a good diagnostic value of GsT activity in sperm samples for the diagnosis of pathospermia (sensitivity of 75% and specificity of 80%). Simultaneously, it was shown that GSH content could not serve as valuable biomarkers for distinguishing patients with pathospermia from healthy controls, with an AUC of 0.615, corresponding to moderate diagnostic significance for oligozoospermia.
Conclusion. The results of this study show that the cut-off points for the biomarkers glutathione peroxidase and glutathione-S-transferase can be used to distinguish between patients with pathospermia and normozoospermia, and the parameters themselves can serve as valuable diagnostic biomarkers to distinguish patients with pathospermia from healthy controls, regardless of the causes of pathospermia. The value of these indicators below the cut-off point indicates the probable presence of pathology. Indicators of GR activity and GSH content have a low diagnostic value, which makes them unsuitable for use as laboratory tests for the diagnosis of male infertility.
Background. The study of the problem of physical and mental health of people who have survived combat trauma is a component of a wide field of research on the problem of stress, which manifests itself at all levels of the organization of the body. Combat injuries, in particular those of the areas of pelvis and genitourinary system, stressful events, lead to the development of erectile dysfunction (ED). In recent decades, a sufficient number of scientific facts have been accumulated, which confirm the significant influence of stress factors on the reduction of sexual desire and sexual activity. Therefore, determination of Ca2+,Mg2+- and Na+,K+-ATPase activity on a convenient model like peripheral blood lymphocytes add complexity to the understanding of the development of the pathophysiological and pathobiochemical mechanisms of the body, the result of which is the development of ED.
Materials and methods. The research was conducted on peripheral blood lymphocytes of men injured as a result of combat operations (shrapnel and bullet wounds) in the Russian-Ukrainian war and treated at the Military Medical Clinical Center of the Western Region. The research group of men with combat injuries was divided into two subgroups: men aged 20–39 years (subgroup 1) and men aged 40–53 years (subgroup 2). The control group consisted of 48 practically healthy men without complaints of sexual dysfunction or cardiac, neurological or endocrinological pathology. Among the men of the control group were 30 men aged 20–39 years (subgroup 3) and 18 men aged 40–53 years (subgroup 4).
Results. It has been shown that in the peripheral blood lymphocytes of men injured as a result of hostilities, there is a decrease in Na+,K+-ATPase activity and Ca2+,Mg2+-ATPase activity of the plasma membrane and endoplasmic reticulum, which leads to overloading of the cytosol with Na+ and Ca2+ ions, respectively, which is characteristic of pathological processes.
Conclusion. Erectile dysfunction due to combat trauma is accompanied by a decrease in both Ca2+,Mg2+-ATPase activity of the plasma membrane and Ca2+,Mg2+-ATPase activity of endoplasmic reticulum of blood lymphocytes. As the age of patients with disorders of sexual function increases, the decrease in Ca2+,Mg2+-ATPase activities becomes more expressed. In men with erectile dysfunction due to combat trauma, the activity of Na+,K+-ATPase is also inhibited. According to the ROC curve, Ca2+,Mg2+-ATPase activity of the endoplasmic reticulum in blood lymphocytes is a potential biomarker of erectile dysfunction