Biomarkers and Mechanisms of Male Infertility: Evaluation of Antioxidant Enzymes and Arachidonic Acid Derivatives in Seminal Plasma from Fertile and Infertile Men

Rodak, Kamil; Kokot, Izabela; Faundez, Ricardo; Gilowska, Iwona; Kratz, Ewa Maria

doi:10.3390/antiox14121470

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Biomarkers and Mechanisms of Male Infertility: Evaluation of Antioxidant Enzymes and Arachidonic Acid Derivatives in Seminal Plasma from Fertile and Infertile Men

by

Kamil Rodak

^1,2,*

,

Izabela Kokot

¹

,

Ricardo Faundez

³

,

Iwona Gilowska

^4,5 and

Ewa Maria Kratz

^1,*

¹

Division of Laboratory Diagnostics, Department of Laboratory Diagnostics, Faculty of Pharmacy, Wroclaw Medical University, Borowska Street 211A, 50-556 Wroclaw, Poland

²

Research and Development Center, INVICTA, Polna Street 64, 81-740 Sopot, Poland

³

InviMed Fertility Clinics, Rakowiecka Street 36, 02-532 Warsaw, Poland

⁴

Institute of Health Sciences, Collegium Salutis Humanae, University of Opole, Katowicka Street 68, 45-060 Opole, Poland

⁵

Clinical Center of Gynecology, Obstetrics and Neonatology in Opole, Reference Center for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Infertility, Reymonta Street 8, 45-066 Opole, Poland

^*

Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.

Antioxidants 2025, 14(12), 1470; https://doi.org/10.3390/antiox14121470

Submission received: 6 November 2025 / Revised: 2 December 2025 / Accepted: 5 December 2025 / Published: 7 December 2025

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Janus Face of Oxidative Stress in Normal and Pathological Conditions)

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Abstract

Male infertility accounts for approximately 50% of reproductive failures, yet its diagnosis and understanding of underlying mechanisms remain limited. The present observational case–control study aimed to examine seminal plasma concentrations of prostaglandin E₂ (PGE₂), 6-keto-prostaglandin F_1α (6-keto-PGF_1α), F₂-isoprostane, superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD₁), glutathione peroxidase 1 (GPX₁), nitric oxide synthase 1 (NOS₁), and their ratios, in fertile (n = 22, aged 24–45) and infertile (n = 250, aged 21–47) men, including analyses across specific infertile subgroups, using ELISA assays. Overall, no significant differences were observed between fertile and infertile men. However, subgroup analyses revealed notable differences: PGE₂ levels were elevated in asthenozoospermic compared to normozoospermic infertile men (14.23 µg/mL vs. 3.52 µg/mL, p = 0.030), 6-keto-PGF_1α levels were higher in teratozoospermic compared to azoospermic individuals (184.97 ng/mL vs. 102.49 ng/mL, p = 0.040), and the PGE₂/6-keto-PGF_1α ratio showed the greatest intergroup variability. Correlation analyses indicated associations between antioxidant enzymes, prostaglandins and standard semen parameters. These findings provide novel insights into seminal plasma biochemistry and highlight specific parameters and mechanisms that may contribute to functional impairments in infertile men.

Keywords: male infertility; seminal plasma; prostaglandins; antioxidant enzymes; oxidative stress biomarkers

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MDPI and ACS Style

Rodak, K.; Kokot, I.; Faundez, R.; Gilowska, I.; Kratz, E.M. Biomarkers and Mechanisms of Male Infertility: Evaluation of Antioxidant Enzymes and Arachidonic Acid Derivatives in Seminal Plasma from Fertile and Infertile Men. Antioxidants 2025, 14, 1470. https://doi.org/10.3390/antiox14121470

AMA Style

Rodak K, Kokot I, Faundez R, Gilowska I, Kratz EM. Biomarkers and Mechanisms of Male Infertility: Evaluation of Antioxidant Enzymes and Arachidonic Acid Derivatives in Seminal Plasma from Fertile and Infertile Men. Antioxidants. 2025; 14(12):1470. https://doi.org/10.3390/antiox14121470

Chicago/Turabian Style

Rodak, Kamil, Izabela Kokot, Ricardo Faundez, Iwona Gilowska, and Ewa Maria Kratz. 2025. "Biomarkers and Mechanisms of Male Infertility: Evaluation of Antioxidant Enzymes and Arachidonic Acid Derivatives in Seminal Plasma from Fertile and Infertile Men" Antioxidants 14, no. 12: 1470. https://doi.org/10.3390/antiox14121470

APA Style

Rodak, K., Kokot, I., Faundez, R., Gilowska, I., & Kratz, E. M. (2025). Biomarkers and Mechanisms of Male Infertility: Evaluation of Antioxidant Enzymes and Arachidonic Acid Derivatives in Seminal Plasma from Fertile and Infertile Men. Antioxidants, 14(12), 1470. https://doi.org/10.3390/antiox14121470

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Biomarkers and Mechanisms of Male Infertility: Evaluation of Antioxidant Enzymes and Arachidonic Acid Derivatives in Seminal Plasma from Fertile and Infertile Men

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