Free L‐carnitine in human seminal plasma

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Abstract
Determination of free L(-)-carnitine in seminal plasma may provide a good indication of epididymal function. There has been disagreement regarding the origin of L(-)-carnitine (epididymis and seminal vesicles) and its concentration in human seminal plasma. Free L(-)-carnitine was determined after deproteinization with an enzymatic spectrophotometric method. In 29 semen samples from fathers with normal spermiograms (semen volume 2-6 ml, sperm count over 20.106/ml, more than 50% motile spermatozoa), the total free L(-)-carnitine in the seminal plasma was 1010 nmol (SD, .+-.480), in 16 samples from vasectomized men it was 131 nmol (SD, .+-.77), and in 5 from men with agenesis of the vas deferens and seminal vesicles it was 21 nmol (SD, .+-.25). Free L(-)-carnitine in the seminal fluid is predominantly of epididymal origin. The results of free L-(-)-carnitine determinations in split ejaculates and the absence of a correlation between L(-)-carnitine and fructose concentrations in semen from normal subjects indicate that the seminal vesicles make only a minor contribution to L(-)-carnitine in the seminal plasma.