The relevance of neutral alpha-glucosidase activity in andrology.

To assess the usefulness of routine determination of neutral alpha-glucosidase (NAG) in andrology, 216 ejaculates were analyzed for NAG activity and semen quality. A correlation between NAG activity and semen volume and sperm concentration was determined; however, no correlation was observed between NAG activity and sperm motility or sperm morphology. The number of azoospermic ejaculates that had NAG activity below acceptable levels was significantly higher than the number of non-azoospermic ejaculates with similarly low NAG levels. Routine determination of NAG activity is not practical; however, when an epididymal pathology leading to a physiological or anatomical functional alteration is suspected, the determination of NAG activity is a valuable tool in the diagnosis, and would also aid in the prognosis.