NMR spectroscopy in andrology: research uses and possible clinical applications.

Research uses and possible clinical applications of NMR spectroscopy are considered. By monitoring extracts of testes using 31P-NMR spectroscopy, detailed analysis of high-energy phosphates, or pathways such as phospholipid biosynthesis or glycolysis, is possible. By using in-vivo 31P NMR spectroscopy of testes in animal experiments it has proved possible to discriminate non-invasively between experimentally impaired and control testes. It has been demonstrated in several human studies that discrimination between normal testes and those with impaired spermatogenesis and obstruction is possible by non-invasive NMR spectroscopy. In studies of semen, seminal plasma or spermatozoa, NMR spectroscopy is of high experimental value for analysis of sample composition, the kinetics of metabolites or the structure of single components, but clinical applications have not yet been clearly defined.