OBJECTIVETo explore the contents of trace elements in the blood and seminal plasma of men and their correlation with semen parameters.

METHODSWe detected and analyzed the contents of calcium, magnesium, copper, zinc, iron and lead in the blood and semen of 113 men with the BH-5100 5-channel atomic absorption spectrometer, YY-1001 blood lead instrument and Weili color sperm automatic analyzer to investigate the correlation of the contents of trace elements with quality.

RESULTSThe contents of lead, copper, zinc and iron in the blood were significantly correlated with those in the seminal plasma, but not the contents of calcium and magnesium. The contents of lead, copper, zinc, calcium, magnesium and iron in the blood were significantly different from those in the semen. In the seminal plasma, the content of calcium showed a significant positive correlation with sperm motility, linear motile sperm motility (LMSM), straight line velocity (VSL), curvilinear velocity (VCL), mean angle of deviation (MAD), active sperm density (ASD), average path velocity (VAP) and lateral head amplitude (ALH), while that of lead was negatively correlated with sperm motility, LMSM, ASD, motile sperm density (MSD) and linear motile sperm density (LMSD), and so was that of magnesium with sperm motility, LMSM and LMSD, and those of calcium, magnesium and iron with seminal pH. In the blood, the content of zinc was negatively correlated with sperm motility and LMSM, and so was that of magnesium with sperm motility, LMSM and VAP, while that of lead was positively correlated with ALH.

CONCLUSIONThe contents of trace elements in different body fluids are differently correlated with sperm quality.