Citric Acid in Semen

THE discovery of citric acid in mammalian semen is due to Scherstén1,2, who was also the first to point out that the acid originates in the accessory glands of reproduction, chiefly the seminal vesicles. In this respect citric acid resembles another more recently discovered component of semen, namely, fructose3, which has similarly been shown to be secreted mainly in the seminal vesicles4,5. The present study was undertaken primarily with the view of investigating the possibility that there may exist a link between the two substances with regard to their formation, distribution or function in reproductive organs and semen. Citric acid was estimated colorimetrically6,7. The results were briefly as follows.