scholarly journals l-carnitine and l-acetylcarnitine supplementation for idiopathic male infertility

2020 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 67-81
Author(s):  
Shen Chuen Khaw ◽  
Zhen Zhe Wong ◽  
Richard Anderson ◽  
Sarah Martins da Silva
Keyword(s):  
Oxidative Stress ◽  
Male Infertility ◽  
Sperm Motility ◽  
Pregnancy Rates ◽  
The Body ◽  
Controlled Trials ◽  
Cochrane Central Register ◽  
Reactive Oxidative Species ◽  
Idiopathic Male Infertility ◽  
Oxidative Species

Fifteen percent of couples are globally estimated to be infertile, with up to half of these cases attributed to male infertility. Reactive oxidative species (ROS) are known to damage sperm leading to impaired quantity and quality. Although not routinely assessed, oxidative stress is a common underlying pathology in infertile men. Antioxidants have been shown to improve semen analysis parameters by reducing ROS and facilitating repair of damage caused by oxidative stress, but it remains unclear whether they improve fertility. Carnitines are naturally occurring antioxidants in mammals and are normally abundant in the epididymal luminal fluid of men. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate the safety and efficacy of carnitine supplementation for idiopathic male infertility. We searched ClinicalKey, ClinicalTrials.gov, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), EMBASE, MEDLINE, PubMed and ScienceDirect for relevant studies published from 1 January 2000 to 30 April 2020. Of the articles retrieved, only eight randomised controlled trials were identified and included. Analysis showed that carnitines significantly improve total sperm motility, progressive sperm motility and sperm morphology, but without effect on sperm concentration. There was no demonstrable effect on clinical pregnancy rate in the five studies that included that outcome, although patient numbers were limited. Therefore, the use of carnitines in male infertility appears to improve some sperm parameters but without evidence of an increase in the chance of natural conception. Lay summary Although male infertility affects 1:15 men, there is no obvious reason in the vast majority of cases. Reactive oxidative species (ROS) are highly active molecules containing oxygen and are natural byproducts of normal metabolism. However, high concentrations of ROS have been shown to damage sperm, which negatively impacts a couple’s ability to conceive. Carnitines are natural antioxidants found in the body that counterbalance the damaging effects of ROS. We conducted a comprehensive review of published studies to assess whether carnitine supplements are safe and effective in improving sperm quality and pregnancy rates. Our analysis shows that carnitines improve sperm swimming and production of normal-shaped sperm cells but do not affect sperm count or pregnancy rates, although there are only a few studies and scientific evidence is limited. Whilst it is possible that carnitines may benefit male infertility, more evidence is required regarding chances of pregnancy after carnitine therapy.

scholarly journals Male Infertility: Pathogenetic Significance of Oxidative Stress and Antioxidant Defence (Review)

2021 ◽  
Vol 24 (6) ◽  
pp. 107-116
Author(s):  
Vsevolod Koshevoy ◽  
Svitlana Naumenko ◽  
Pavlo Skliarov ◽  
Serhiy Fedorenko ◽  
Lidia Kostyshyn
Keyword(s):  
Oxidative Stress ◽  
Male Infertility ◽  
Nitrosative Stress ◽  
Antioxidant Properties ◽  
Malonic Dialdehyde ◽  
The Body ◽  
Redox Activity ◽  
Enzymatic System ◽  
Male Body ◽  
Mitochondrial Potential

The basis of the pathogenesis of male infertility is the processes of peroxide oxidation of biological substrates, especially lipids and proteins. By destroying the sperm membrane, toxic peroxidation products reduce its motility and ability to fertilize the egg, which is determined by a decrease in the number of motile sperm in the ejaculate. These changes lead to complete or partial male infertility. The authors of the review found that is accompanied by a damaging effect on the structural and functional activity of the gonads and is manifested, in particular, by an imbalance in the hormonal background of the male body. Similar effects are characteristic of an increase in the content of reactive Nitrogen species and its metabolites, which cause nitrosative stress, which is also the cause of male hypofertility and is inseparable from the state of oxidative stress. In scientific work it is determined that the accumulation of harmful peroxidation products leads to damage and destruction of sperm DNA, reduced activity of acrosomal enzymes and mitochondrial potential of sperm, reduced overall antioxidant activity. This makes it impossible for an adequate response of the body. Multi component antioxidant defense system resists stress. It is represented by enzymatic and non-enzymatic links, which can neutralize harmful radicals and peroxidation products. It contributes to the full manifestation of reproductive function. The presence of powerful antioxidant properties of catalase, superoxide dismutase, and enzymes of the thiol-disulfide system, which form the enzymatic system of antioxidant protection, as well as selenium, zinc, copper, other trace elements, retinol, tocopherol, ascorbic acid, and vitamins as parts of the non-enzymatic system is shown. The efficiency of registration is substantiated thin biochemical shift detectors or complex methods, such as total antioxidant status of sperm or sperm plasma, mitochondrial membrane potential, etc along with simple markers of oxidative stress, such as diene conjugates, malonic dialdehyde, and metabolites of the Nitrogen Oxide cycle. Given the leading role of oxidative stress in the development of male hypofertility, the prospect of further research is the search for modern means for correction, especially among substances with pronounced redox activity

scholarly journals A Systematic Review on Use of Medicinal Plants for Male Infertility Treatment

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nasibeh Roozbeh ◽  
Azam Amirian ◽  
Fatemeh Abdi ◽  
Simin Haghdoost
Keyword(s):  
Medicinal Plants ◽  
Male Infertility ◽  
Male Fertility ◽  
Nigella Sativa ◽  
Herbal Medicines ◽  
Mucuna Pruriens ◽  
Controlled Trials ◽  
Cochrane Central Register ◽  
Duration Of Treatment ◽  
Positive Effects

Objective: Male infertility is involved in about half of the casess of infertility and the only sole reason for infertility in 20%-30% of the cases. Following the recent interest in the use of medicinal plants, scientists have sought to clarify their effects on male fertility. This review aimed to summarize the results of studies available to determine the effectiveness, safety and mechanism of herbal treatments in the improvement of male fertility. Materials and methods: Medline/PubMed, Scopus, Science Direct, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (Central) databases were searched for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) published during 2000-2020. Studies were only included if they adhered to the CONSORT checklist. The methodological quality of the selected studies was assessed using the Cochrane risk of bias tool. Results: Finally, 20 studies recruiting a total of 1519 individuals were reviewed. These studies compared the effects of eleven different medicinal plants, i.e. ginseng, saffron, Nigella sativa, palm pollen, ADOFON, TOPALAF, sesame, and Mucuna pruriens, on male fertility with those of placebo. All studies (except one) confirmed the beneficial effects of medicinal plants on the improvement of sperm and reproductive parameters and thus male infertility. Conclusion: The existing RCTs indicated the positive effects of medicinal plants on male fertility. Therefore, in order to develop a novel approach to the treatment of male infertility, further clinical trials are warranted to determine the maximum dosage and duration of treatment with herbal medicines and evaluate any potential side effects of such interventions.

scholarly journals Oxidative Stress in Placenta: Health and Diseases

2015 ◽  
Vol 2015 ◽  
pp. 1-15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fan Wu ◽  
Fu-Ju Tian ◽  
Yi Lin
Keyword(s):  
Oxidative Stress ◽  
Intrauterine Growth Restriction ◽  
Reactive Oxidative Species ◽  
Second Trimester ◽  
Low Oxygen ◽  
Placental Development ◽  
Intrauterine Growth ◽  
Growth Requirements ◽  
Oxidative Species ◽  
And Oxidative Stress

During pregnancy, development of the placenta is interrelated with the oxygen concentration. Embryo development takes place in a low oxygen environment until the beginning of the second trimester when large amounts of oxygen are conveyed to meet the growth requirements. High metabolism and oxidative stress are common in the placenta. Reactive oxidative species sometimes harm placental development, but they are also reported to regulate gene transcription and downstream activities such as trophoblast proliferation, invasion, and angiogenesis. Autophagy and apoptosis are two crucial, interconnected processes in the placenta that are often influenced by oxidative stress. The proper interactions between them play an important role in placental homeostasis. However, an imbalance between the protective and destructive mechanisms of autophagy and apoptosis seems to be linked with pregnancy-related disorders such as miscarriage, preeclampsia, and intrauterine growth restriction. Thus, potential therapies to hold oxidative stress in leash, promote placentation, and avoid unwanted apoptosis are discussed.

scholarly journals Prayer as a pain intervention: protocol of a systematic review of randomised controlled trials

BMJ Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (7) ◽  
pp. e047580
Author(s):  
Alexandra Ferreira-Valente ◽  
Margarida Jarego ◽  
Inês Queiroz-Garcia ◽  
Filipa Pimenta ◽  
Rui Miguel Costa ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Pain Management ◽  
Randomised Controlled Trials ◽  
The Body ◽  
Religious Practices ◽  
Controlled Trials ◽  
Cochrane Central Register ◽  
Pain Experience ◽  
Intervention Protocol ◽  
Randomised Controlled

BackgroundPain is a universal experience and the most common reason for seeking healthcare. Inadequate pain management negatively impacts numerous aspects of patient health. Multidisciplinary treatment programmes, including psychosocial interventions, are more useful for pain management than purely biomedical treatment alone. Recently, researchers showed increasing interest in understanding the role of spirituality/religiosity and spiritual/religious practices on pain experience, with engagement in religious practices, such as prayer, showing to positively impact pain experience in religious individuals. This systematic review will seek to summarise and integrate the existing findings from randomised controlled trials assessing the effects of prayer and prayer-based interventions on pain experience.MethodsThe systematic review procedures and its report will follow the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses statement. Electronic searches in nine databases (Web of Science Core Collection, MEDLINE, SCIELO Citation Index, PubMed, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Clinical Trial, PsycINFO, Scopus, LILACS and Open-SIGLE) will be performed to identify randomised controlled trials of prayer-based interventions. Two independent researchers will assess studies for inclusion and extract data from each paper. Risk of bias assessment will be assessed independently by two reviewers based on the Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials statement. Qualitative synthesis of the body of research will be conducted using a narrative summary synthesis method. Meta-analysis will be limited to studies reporting on the same primary outcome. Formal searches are planned to start in June 2021. The final report is anticipated to be completed by September 2021.DiscussionFindings will be useful to (1) understand the condition of our knowledge in this field and (2) provide evidence for prayer effectiveness in reducing pain intensity and pain-related stress and increasing pain tolerance in adults experiencing acute or chronic pain.PROSPERO registration numberCRD42020221733.

424. Polyunsaturated fatty acids and mitochondrial reactive oxygen species production in human spermatozoa and male infertility

2008 ◽  
Vol 20 (9) ◽  
pp. 104
Author(s):  
A. J. Koppers ◽  
R. J. Aitken
Keyword(s):  
Oxidative Stress ◽  
Reactive Oxygen Species ◽  
Fatty Acids ◽  
Male Infertility ◽  
Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids ◽  
Sperm Motility ◽  
Human Spermatozoa ◽  
Ros Generation ◽  
Oxygen Species ◽  
Mitochondrial Ros

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are traditionally considered detrimental by-products of cellular metabolism. However, ROS have conflicting roles in human spermatozoa, either as a functional mediator of sperm capacitation or generating a state of oxidative stress that is associated with male infertility. Using the probe MitoSOX Red, we have shown that defective human spermatozoa generate mitochondrial ROS in manner that was negatively correlated with motility (R2 = 0.8048). Previous research has shown higher levels of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) in defective spermatozoa. However, the addition of PUFA to normal human spermatozoa results in increased mitochondrial ROS production (P < 0.001) and lipid peroxidation (P < 0.001) determined by MitoSOX Red and BODIPY C11 assays, as a consequence human spermatozoa also exhibited decreased sperm motility (P < 0.001). Ongoing research is currently evaluating the relationship between cellular levels of PUFAs in human spermatozoa and mitochondrial ROS generation and decreased sperm motility. This research demonstrates that mitochondrial ROS generation in human spermatozoa may have significant consequences for their function and we propose that elevated PUFA content may be a primary cause of increased oxidative stress and therefore male infertility.

Mystery of idiopathic male infertility: is oxidative stress an actual risk?

2013 ◽  
Vol 99 (5) ◽  
pp. 1211-1215 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gülşen Aktan ◽  
Semra Doğru-Abbasoğlu ◽  
Canan Küçükgergin ◽  
Ateş Kadıoğlu ◽  
Gül Özdemirler-Erata ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Oxidative Stress ◽  
Male Infertility ◽  
Idiopathic Male Infertility ◽  
Actual Risk

scholarly journals Oxidative Stress in Mucopolysaccharidoses: Pharmacological Implications

Molecules ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (18) ◽  
pp. 5616
Author(s):  
Karolina Pierzynowska ◽  
Lidia Gaffke ◽  
Zuzanna Cyske ◽  
Grzegorz Węgrzyn ◽  
Brigitta Buttari ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Oxidative Stress ◽  
Central Nervous System ◽  
Metabolic Diseases ◽  
Reactive Oxidative Species ◽  
Hematopoietic Stem ◽  
Enzyme Replacement ◽  
System A ◽  
Potential Efficacy ◽  
The Central Nervous System ◽  
Oxidative Species

Although mucopolysaccharidoses (MPS) are caused by mutations in genes coding for enzymes responsible for degradation of glycosaminoglycans, storage of these compounds is crucial but is not the only pathomechanism of these severe, inherited metabolic diseases. Among various factors and processes influencing the course of MPS, oxidative stress appears to be a major one. Oxidative imbalance, occurring in MPS and resulting in increased levels of reactive oxidative species, causes damage of various biomolecules, leading to worsening of symptoms, especially in the central nervous system (but not restricted to this system). A few therapeutic options are available for some types of MPS, including enzyme replacement therapy and hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, however, none of them are fully effective in reducing all symptoms. A possibility that molecules with antioxidative activities might be useful accompanying drugs, administered together with other therapies, is discussed in light of the potential efficacy of MPS treatment.

scholarly journals Oral Ascorbic Acid And α-Tocopherol Protect On Di-(2-Ethyl Hexyl) Phthalate (DEHP) Induced Effects On Gonadotoxicity In The Adult Male Wistar Rats

2020 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sunday Adakole Ogli ◽  
Samuel O. Odeh
Keyword(s):  
Oxidative Stress ◽  
Ascorbic Acid ◽  
Male Infertility ◽  
Sperm Motility ◽  
Wistar Rats ◽  
Sperm Morphology ◽  
Serum Testosterone ◽  
Sperm Cells ◽  
Testosterone Concentration ◽  
Male Wistar Rats

Environmental pollutants such as di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) adversely affect reproductive system tissue differentiation and functions with exposure at intrauterine, neonatal or adult stages of life, thereby potentiating male infertility later in life. World health organization estimates a global infertility prevalent rate of 10-15%, and 20-30% among Nigerians, with male factor constituting about 40-50% of infertility cases. This study was designed to investigate the effect(s) of oral vitamins C and E on DEHP induced changes in some semen parameters and serum testosterone concentration in adult Wistar rats. Seventy (70) adult male Wistar rats weighing between 156-250 g were randomised into 7 experimental groups 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 (group n=10). Animals in groups 1, 2 and 3 were treated with 0.02 mg, 20 mg, 200 mg oral DEHP/kg bw daily respectively, while those in groups 4, 5 and 6, in addition to the above DEHP treatments, were treated with 100 mg ascorbic acid and 67.5 mg α-tocopherol per kg bw daily respectively. Rats in group 7 served as Control and were treated with vehicle. All treatments lasted for 60 days. After, over night fasting, samples of semen and serum were obtained for analysis. Results obtained were expressed as mean ± standard deviation and analyzed for significant differences in means using one way ANOVA and Post Hoc test. Relative to the control reference values, groups exposed to oral DEHP had significant (p<0.05) reduction in sperm count, total sperm motility, active sperm motility, normal sperm morphology, serum testosterone concentration  and serum super oxide dismutase levels to 31.70±18.68x106 cells/mL, 38.60±24.78%, 8.50±5.66%, 38.00±18.00%, 9.56±1.34 ng/mL and 0.017±0.0013 units respectively. Sluggish sperm motility and abnormal sperm morphology significantly (p˂0.01) increased to 39.70±13.05% and 68.50±18.42% respectively. In the groups that had DEHP co-treatments with oral ascorbic acid and α-tocopherol, all studied parameters tended to comparative indifference statistically, with the Controls values. This indicates a protective function against DEHP effects on the studied parameters. The study has shown therefore, that DEHP inflicts oxidative stress in the reproductive system which potentially suppresses serum testosterone concentration with attendant derangements in the qualitative and quantitative sperm cells in adult Wistar rats, and thereby enhancing male infertility. However, the antioxidants ascorbic acid and α-tocopherol protects the gonadal and sperm cells from the harmful effects of DEHP by ameliorating oxidative stress and improving male fertility. This implies that there is need to avoid prolonged exposure to DEHP while encouraging the daily intake of oral ascorbic acid and α-tocopherol. 

scholarly journals Estrogens as Antioxidant Modulators in Human Fertility

2013 ◽  
Vol 2013 ◽  
pp. 1-6 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Mancini ◽  
S. Raimondo ◽  
M. Persano ◽  
C. Di Segni ◽  
M. Cammarano ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Oxidative Stress ◽  
Male Infertility ◽  
Personal Data ◽  
The Other ◽  
Tamoxifen Treatment ◽  
Antioxidant Systems ◽  
Idiopathic Male Infertility ◽  
Human Fertility

Among treatments proposed for idiopathic male infertility, antiestrogens, like tamoxifen, play a possible role. On the other hand, oxidative stress is a mechanism well recognized for deleterious effects on spermatozoa function. After reviewing the literature on the effects of estrogens in modulation of antioxidant systems, in both sexes, and in differentin vivoandin vitromodels, we suggest, also on the basis of personal data, that a tamoxifen treatment could be active via an increase in seminal antioxidants.

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