Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP) Concentrations and ATP/Adenosine Diphosphate Ratios in Human Sperm of Normospermic, Oligospermic, and Asthenospermic Specimens and in their Swim‐up Fractions: Lack of Correlation Between ATP Parameters and Sperm Creatine Kinase Concentrations

The authors had previously found an inverse correlation between per sperm creatine Phosphokinase activity and sperm concentrations in men. Because creatine Phosphokinase is a key enzyme in sperm energy transport, the possible relationship of sperm creatine Phosphokinase activity, sperm adenosine triphosphate (ATP) concentrations, sperm ATP/ADP (adenosine diphosphate) ratios, and computer‐aided semen analysis sperm motility parameters were then studied. The ATP concentrations and ATP/ADP ratios, measured by high‐pressure liquid chromatography in washed sperm, were similar in normospermic and Oligospermic specimens (ATP: 123.1 ± 21.6 vs. 90.0 ± 24.5 pmol/106 sperm; ATP/ADP: 2.8 ± 0.4 vs. 2.1 ± 0.4, N = 32 and 17, mean ± SEM), and in samples with normal and less than 40% sperm motility (ATP: 96.8 ± 27.2 vs. 122.2 ± 19.6 pmol/106 sperm; ATP/ADP: 2.4 ± 0.5 vs. 2.8 ± 0.4, n = 26 and 23). In the swim‐up sperm fractions, which showed improved motility, the ATP concentrations, but not the ATP/ADP ratios, were lower than in the initial semen samples (ATP: 152.9 ± 28.4 vs. 90.3 ± 10.6 pmol/106 sperm, P < 0.05; ATP/ADP: 3.3 ± 0.5 vs. 3.9 ± 0.7, N = 18 pairs of samples). This is consistent with our previous finding of a lower cytoplasmic content in sperm in swim‐up fractions. The sperm creatine Phosphokinase activities were different (0.12 ± 0.04 vs. 0.45 ± 0.14 IU/108 sperm, P < 0.05) in the six normospermic and seven Oligospermic samples (33.2 ± 6.1 vs. 13.8 ± 1.5 × 106 sperm/ml), but there were no corresponding differences in ATP concentrations or ATP/ADP ratios (ATP: 148 ± 65 vs. 112 ± 23 pmol/106 sperm; ATP/ADP: 3.3 ± 0.5 vs. 3.7 ± 1.1). It was concluded that: 1) per sperm ATP concentrations and ATP/ADP ratios are independent of sperm density in the samples; 2) sperm with higher fertilizing potential do not show higher ATP concentrations or ATP/ADP ratios; and 3) the lack of a relationship among sperm creatine Phosphokinase activities (which are significantly higher in infertile than in fertile men), ATP/ADP ratios, and ATP concentrations suggests that sperm ATP concentrations are unrelated to fertility.