Changes in the activity of lysosomal cysteine proteases of spermoplasm in patients with impaired reproductive function

Relevance. One of the serious problems of modern society is male infertility, which accounts for 7% of the total structure of infertile marriages. The reasons leading to it are not always clear. All researches of ejaculate are mainly based on chemical microscopic explorations. The biochemical indicators of sperm are currently being determined in insufficient volume, therefore the introduction of new biochemical markers for the diagnosis of decreased fertility in men is very relevant. Object. To examine the activity of cathepsins B, L and H contained in the acrosome of spermatozoa among men with impaired reproductive function. Materials and methods. The material for the investigation was spermoplasm. Spermoplasm was obtained from 30 patients diagnosed with chronic prostatitis and 30 patients diagnosed with varicocele with complaints of reproductive health. The control group consisted of 30 patients without diseases of the genitourinary system during physical examination and without complaints in anamnesis about reproductive health. Spermoplasm was obtained by centrifugation of a sperm sample for 10 minutes at a speed of 1000 rpm. The activity of cathepsins B, L, H in the spermoplasm was determined by the spectrofluorimetric method according to A.J. Barrett and H. Kirschke. Results. The activity of cathepsin B among patients diagnosed with chronic prostatitis was reduced by 3.4 times, in patients diagnosed with varicocele by 18.5 times. The activity of cathepsin L among patients with chronic prostatitis is reduced by 3.5 times, with varicocele by 20 times. The activity of cathepsin H in chronic prostatitis decreases by 3.3 times, in patients with varicocele by 25.5 times. Conclusions. The activity of lysosomal cysteine proteases B, L, H among patients with impaired reproductive function was explored. A decrease in the activity of cathepsins B, L, H was found among these patients, as distinct from the patients without signs of fertility disorders. In this way, changing the activity of cathepsins B, L and H can be considered as one of the possible markers for the diagnostics of male infertility.