THE RELATION OF THE PROTEOLYTIC ACTIVITY OF HUMAN SEMINAL PLASMA TO VARIOUS SEMEN CHARACTERISTICS

Summary. Proteolytic activity, acid phosphatase activity and fructose concentration were measured in seminal plasma from 205 human semen samples. Certain routine sperm characteristics were also determined. High fibrinolytic activity was found and TAME-esterase and proteinase activity was also present in all specimens. The activity of all the proteo-lytic enzymes correlated positively with the acid phosphatase activity suggesting the prostate gland to be the origin of the enzymes. TAME\x=req-\ esterase activity was inversely related to the seminal fructose content. No correlation was observed between sperm characteristics and the seminal proteolytic enzymes. The specimens with abnormal viscosity usually contained low proteinase activity. Human seminal plasma is known to possess considerable proteolytic activity; two protein-splitting enzymes have been found, one active at an acid pH and the other having similarities to chymotrypsin (Lundquist, Thorsteinsson & Buus, 1955), Several investigators have demonstrated the presence of plasmino