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Medical AI Inquiry: You was designed to assist in medical decision-making based on the provided user questions. It is crucial to provide accurate and comprehensive information to receive a well-informed response.  Labels: OBJECTIVE, METHODS, METHODS, METHODS, METHODS, METHODS, RESULTS. Meshes: Adult, Calcium, Cysteine, Cytosol, Fertility, Humans, Infertility, Male, Male, Nitric Oxide, Prostate, S-Nitrosothiols, Spermatozoa, Varicocele.
user
Are cytosolic calcium levels in spermatozoa modulated differently in healthy subjects and patients with varicocele? Context: To study parameters connected to fertility in the semen of patients with varicocele. We examine the ability of spermatozoa obtained from patients with varicocele to respond with an increase of cytosolic Ca2+ ([Ca2+]i) to some stimuli that are connected with spermatozoa activation. An academic research environment. Ten healthy volunteer donors and 10 patients affected by II or III grade left varicocele. Spermatozoa and prostasomes (vesicles of prostatic origin obtained from semen) were prepared according to standard procedures. Spermatozoa were stimulated with 1 microM P. The [Ca2+]i was evaluated with the FURA II method. The level of [Ca2+]i. In resting cells, the level of [Ca2+]i was 120 +/-15 nmol/L (10 determinations). This value increases by > or =100 nmol/L upon stimulation with P. No difference was observed between spermatozoa obtained from healthy donors or from patients with varicocele. S-nitrosocysteine, a nitric oxide donor, and the fusion between spermatozoa and prostasomes increased the effect of P on [Ca2+]i in control spermatozoa but not in spermatozoa obtained from patients with varicocele.
assistant
Different responsiveness of varicocele patients' spermatozoa to S-nitrosocysteine and/or to fusion with prostasomes may be among the possible causes of reduced fertility. Final Decision: yes