Buffering substances of human semen.

The quantitative contribution of several components to the BC of human semen has been investigated. The role of spermatozoa is negligible (less than 2%). Both the high-molecular components (proteins) and the HCO3-/CO2 system contribute about 25% to the BC.

Buffering capacity of human semen.

The buffering capacity of 270 semen samples derived from 196 men of infertile couples was determined from titration curves. The average buffering capacity in the physiologic range (pH 7.0 to 6.