Assessment of seminal plasma zinc and copper among infertile sudanese males in khartoum state

Background: Male infertility is a complex condition and overlaps many factors and affects infertility in about 5-8% of the population in the world and the man is responsible for 40% of these cases. Nutritional deficiency of trace element, zinc and copper may play a role in male infertility as trace element plays an important role not only in normal testicular development, but also in spermatogenesis and sperm motility. Objective: The current study was intended to analyze the level of seminal plasma trace elements (zinc and copper) amongst dissimilar groups of infertile men. Materials and method: This is a facility based study, conducted in Reproductive Care Center in AlmukNemer Street in Khartoum state. Which include 160 semen samples collected from normozoospermic, oligoathenospermic, and azoospermic men and clinical information collected by the use of questionnaire. The concentrations of zinc and copper were measured by using the atomic absorption spectrophotometer, then the data was analyzed using the statistical software package SPSS version 17. Result: The results showed that the mean values of seminal plasma copper concentrations were significantly decreased in the two groups of infertile male subjects, azoospermic (p. value 0.000), and oligozoospermic (p. value 0.000) compared with fertile males, while there was significant decrease in seminal plasma zinc concentration of azoospermic patients compared to control (p. value 0.000), and insignificant decrease in oligozoospermic patients compared to control (p. value 0.130). The study showed statistically insignificant deferent in the seminal plasma level of copper between azoospermia and oligoathenospermia, the p. value is (0.474), and statistically significant decrease in the seminal plasma level of zinc in azoospermia when compared with oligoathenospermia, the p. value is (0.006). Conclusion: The seminal plasma zinc and copper is significant decreased in patients with azoospermia as compared with control group. And significant decrease in the seminal plasma copper in patients with oligoasthenospermia as compared with control group, and insignificant decrease in the seminal plasma zinc in patients with oligoasthenospermia as compared with control group.