Is there any correlation between sperm parameters and chromatin quality with embryo morphokinetics in patients with male infertility?

Introduction. Idiopathic male infertility is a global problem with almost no definite medicinal treatment. Most patients have to go through intrauterine insemination or assisted reproductive technology for achieving fertility. Unfortunately, success rates are low in cases with very low sperm count. Therefore it seems that improvement in sperm quality can have beneficial effects on assisted reproductive technology outcome. Case Report. A 39-year-old man with history of infertility for 6 years was referred to the traditional medicine clinic with a recurrent unsuccessful intracytoplasmic sperm injection trial. His sperm analysis showed severe oligoasthenoteratozoospermia. After taking a traditional remedy he had a remarkable improvement in his sperm parameters, which led to the formation of 8 embryos in the following intracytoplasmic sperm injection cycle. Conclusion. Traditional medicine presents various food and remedy options for treating male infertility. It seems that combination therapy can be beneficial in obtaining better results in treatment of male idiopathic infertility.

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Corrigendum to “Comprehensive metabolic profiles of seminal plasma with different forms of male infertility and their correlation with sperm parameters’’ [J. Pharm. Biomed. Anal. 177 (2020) 112888 / UNSP 112888]

Journal of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Analysis ◽

10.1016/j.jpba.2020.113167 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 184 ◽

pp. 113167

Author(s):

Yamei Xu ◽

Hongmei Lu ◽

Yang Wang ◽

Zhimin Zhang ◽

Qian Wu

Keyword(s):

Male Infertility ◽

Seminal Plasma ◽

Sperm Parameters ◽

Metabolic Profiles ◽

Pharm Biomed Anal

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Review of Clinical Trials on Effects of Oral Antioxidants on Basic Semen and Other Parameters in Idiopathic Oligoasthenoteratozoospermia

BioMed Research International ◽

10.1155/2014/426951 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 2014 ◽

pp. 1-11 ◽

Cited By ~ 25

Author(s):

Senka Imamovic Kumalic ◽

Bojana Pinter

Keyword(s):

Clinical Trials ◽

Male Infertility ◽

Diagnostic Methods ◽

Sperm Parameters ◽

Semen Parameters ◽

Oxygen Species ◽

Male Factor ◽

Infertile Men ◽

Antioxidant Supplements ◽

Year 2000

Infertility affects 50 to 80 million people worldwide. Male factor is a cause of infertility in almost half of cases, mainly due to oligoasthenoteratozoospermia (OAT). With common diagnostic methods no cause can be found in approximately 30% of cases of male infertility due to OAT and these are considered idiopathic. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) play an important role in male infertility and are proved to be higher in infertile men; antioxidants could oppose their effect. The aim of this paper was to review the literature on clinical trials in the period from year 2000 to year 2013 studying the effects of various types of antioxidant supplements on basic and other sperm parameters and pregnancy rates in subfertile males with idiopathic OAT. The majority of studies were randomized and placebo controlled and confirmed beneficial effect of antioxidants on at least one of the semen parameters; the biggest effect was determined on sperm motility. In many of these trials combinations of more antioxidants were assessed. The optimal dosages of one or more antioxidants were not defined. We concluded that antioxidants play an important role in protecting semen from ROS and can improve basic sperm parameters in case of idiopathic OAT.

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Testicular Metabolic Reprogramming in Neonatal Streptozotocin-Induced Type 2 Diabetic Rats Impairs Glycolytic Flux and Promotes Glycogen Synthesis

Journal of Diabetes Research ◽

10.1155/2015/973142 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 2015 ◽

pp. 1-13 ◽

Cited By ~ 27

Author(s):

L. Rato ◽

M. G. Alves ◽

T. R. Dias ◽

J. E. Cavaco ◽

Pedro F. Oliveira

Keyword(s):

Male Infertility ◽

Glycogen Synthesis ◽

Serum Testosterone ◽

Diabetic Rats ◽

Metabolic Reprogramming ◽

Sperm Parameters ◽

Glycolytic Flux ◽

Lactate Dehydrogenase Activity ◽

Glycogen Accumulation

Defects in testicular metabolism are directly implicated with male infertility, but most of the mechanisms associated with type 2 diabetes- (T2DM) induced male infertility remain unknown. We aimed to evaluate the effects of T2DM on testicular glucose metabolism by using a neonatal-streptozotocin- (n-STZ) T2DM animal model. Plasma and testicular hormonal levels were evaluated using specific kits. mRNA and protein expression levels were assessed by real-time PCR and Western Blot, respectively. Testicular metabolic profile was assessed by1H-NMR spectroscopy. T2DM rats showed increased glycemic levels, impaired glucose tolerance and hyperinsulinemia. Both testicular and serum testosterone levels were decreased, whereas those of 17β-estradiol were not altered. Testicular glycolytic flux was not favored in testicles of T2DM rats, since, despite the increased expression of both glucose transporters 1 and 3 and the enzyme phosphofructokinase 1, lactate dehydrogenase activity was severely decreased contributing to lower testicular lactate content. However, T2DM enhanced testicular glycogen accumulation, by modulating the availability of the precursors for its synthesis. T2DM also affected the reproductive sperm parameters. Taken together these results indicate that T2DM is able to reprogram testicular metabolism by enhancing alternative metabolic pathways, particularly glycogen synthesis, and such alterations are associated with impaired sperm parameters.

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Therapeutic effects of micronutrient supplements on sperm parameters: Fact or Fiction?

Current Pharmaceutical Design ◽

10.2174/1381612826666200415173537 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 26 ◽

Author(s):

Fotios Dimitriadis ◽

Panagiota Tsounapi ◽

Athanasios Zachariou ◽

Aris Kaltsas ◽

Ioannis Sokolakis ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Male Infertility ◽

Sperm Concentration ◽

Sperm Parameters ◽

Cochrane Library ◽

Therapeutic Effects ◽

Micronutrient Supplementation ◽

Clinical Practices ◽

Beneficial Effects ◽

Randomized Controlled ◽

Randomized Controlled Studies

Background: Despite the limited evidence about the effect of micronutrient supplementation on the semen quality, many micronutrient supplements have been used to improve male fertility. Approximately, 40%-50% of male infertility cases in general and up to 80% in men with idiopathic infertility cases are caused by oxidative stress and decreased level of seminal total antioxidant capacity. Objective: To investigate the beneficial effects of micronutrient supplementation on sperm concentration, motility and morphology. Methods: A Pub Med, Google Scholar, Embase data, web of Science and Cochrane Library database extensive research of the randomized controlled studies utilizing micronutrient vitamins and supplements was performed. Results: The existent international literature is rather heterogeneous and a definitive is difficult to be drawn. Several micronutrients have beneficial effects on sperm parameters. Rational use of micronutrients might be helpful for infertile patients. Conclusion: Further randomized, controlled clinical trials are required to elucidate the efficacy and safety of micronutrients and propose proper protocols for their use. A well-rounded, balanced diet is more preferable than the widespread use of micronutrient supplements beyond the recommended doses. Future studies should concern the pregnancy rate as a primary outcome in their designs. Further research should be done to determine the appropriate antioxidant compounds, the duration of the treatment, as well as a certain dose of antioxidants in clinical practices. The pre-treatment evaluation of the seminal oxidative status is also an important parameter to proceed with micronutrient supplementation without the risk of reductive stress. Under these conditions, supplements could support the quality of sperm and help to alleviate male infertility.

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Comprehensive metabolic profiles of seminal plasma with different forms of male infertility and their correlation with sperm parameters

Journal of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Analysis ◽

10.1016/j.jpba.2019.112888 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 177 ◽

pp. 112888 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Yamei Xu ◽

Hongmei Lu ◽

Yang Wang ◽

Zhimin Zhang ◽

Qian Wu

Keyword(s):

Male Infertility ◽

Seminal Plasma ◽

Sperm Parameters ◽

Metabolic Profiles

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Male Infertility and Sperm DNA Fragmentation

Open Access Macedonian Journal of Medical Sciences ◽

10.3889/oamjms.2018.311 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 6 (8) ◽

pp. 1342-1345 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Afrim Zeqiraj ◽

Sheqibe Beadini ◽

Nexhbedin Beadini ◽

Hesat Aliu ◽

Zafer Gashi ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Male Infertility ◽

Dna Fragmentation ◽

Reproductive Age ◽

Sperm Parameters ◽

Semen Parameters ◽

Sperm Chromatin ◽

Control Group ◽

P Value ◽

Sperm Dna Fragmentation ◽

Factors Affecting

BACKGROUND: One of the main factors affecting male infertility is DNA fragmentation in sperm. Male infertility is a heterogeneous group of disorders, known causes account for only 30-50%, and unknown cause (idiopathic) constitute the rest. Infertility involves nearly 15% of couples in the reproductive age, and only the male problem involves about 40% of the problems.AIM: We have studied our DNA damage to sperm cells of a group of infertile males (113 patients) with abnormal sperm parameters (oligoasthenospermia and oligospermia) and a group of male patients (80 patients) with normal semen parameters (normospermia) to document whether the Sperm Chromatin Dispersion (SCD) analysis could increase the information obtained from the sperm routine analysis to explain the causes of infertility.MATERIALS: A group of 193 patients were analysed, 113 patients in the working group and 80 patients in the control group were screened. The ejaculate samples were taken by the patient to whom the reason for the analysis was explained. All patients were from the Republic of Kosovo. Samples are collected from 2014/2018. Sperm Chromatin Dispersion (SCD) analyses in the ejaculate were analysed by the Biolab Zafi laboratory in Peja.RESULTS: Clinical data were compared between the two groups by one-way ANOVA, mean ± SD, student's t-test. A p-value of less than P < 0.05% was considered statistically significant. Outcomes: In our study, we have gained significant (P < 0.05) results in the workgroup and the control group across all hormonal parameters, sperm parameters, and fragmented DNA in the sperm.CONCLUSION: Based on our obtained results we can conclude that DNA fragmentation in spermatozoa is useful in the selection of unsuitable DNA sperm for use in ART methods. We conclude that our DNA fragmentation analysis results are encouraging and can be used for diagnostic purposes in determining male infertility.

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The effect of Phoenix dactylifera pollen on the expression of NRF2, SOD2, CAT, and GPX4 genes, and sperm parameters of fertile and infertile men: A controlled clinical trial

International Journal of Reproductive BioMedicine ◽

10.18502/ijrm.v19i6.9376 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Soghra Fallahi ◽

Minoo Rajaei ◽

Mohammad Javad Hesam ◽

Mohsen Koolivand ◽

Kianoosh Malekzadeh

Keyword(s):

Clinical Trial ◽

Male Infertility ◽

Mrna Expression ◽

Phoenix Dactylifera ◽

Sperm Parameters ◽

Controlled Clinical Trial ◽

Antioxidant Genes ◽

Expression Levels ◽

Infertile Men ◽

Mrna Expression Levels

Background: Oxidative stress is caused by the imbalance occurring between the creation and clearance of the reactive oxygen species (ROS), which is responsible for 30–40% of male infertility. The positive impact of phoenix dactylifera pollen (Date palm pollen, DPP) on the improvement of sperm parameters has been well documented in animal models. Objective: For evaluating the effect(s) of DPP on sperm parameters, ROS levels, expression of antioxidant genes, and activity of antioxidant enzymes of infertile men. Materials and Methods: In this controlled clinical trial, a total of 60 male case with infertility and 20 normospermic fertile men were recruited. Before and after the treatment with DPP, the case were administered 400 mg/kg of gelatinous capsules daily for 30 consecutive days and semen samples were taken. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction was applied for the evaluation of the mRNA expression levels of Nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2(NRF2), superoxide dismutase (SOD2), glutathione peroxidase 4(GPX4), and catalase (CAT) genes. Results: The mRNA expression levels of NRF2, SOD2, GPX4, and CAT (p < 0.05 for all) and significantly increased after treatment with DPP. The increased expressions of all antioxidant genes and enzymes significantly correlated with improvement in semen parameters including count (p = 0.01), motility (p = 0.05), and morphology (p = 0.01) of sperm. A significant correlation between the alteration of SOD2 gene expression and SOD activity, GPX4 and GPX, and CAT were also observed (p = 0.05). Conclusion: DPP can increase the expressions of NRF2, GPX4, SOD2, and CAT genes and also improve the semen quality in infertile men. Key words: DPP, Male infertility, SOD2, NRF2, GPX4, CAT, ROS, Spermatozoa.

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