The effect of antioxidant treatment on human spermatozoa and fertilization rate in an in vitro fertilization program

• Published in: Fertility and sterility Vol. 66; no. 3; pp. 430 - 434
• Main Authors: Geva, Eli, Bartoov, Benjamin, Zabludovsky, Natalia, Lessing, Joseph B., Lerner-Geva, Liat, Amit, Ami
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York, NY Elsevier Inc 01.09.1996; Elsevier Science
• Subjects: Administration, Oral; Adult; Antioxidants - administration & dosage; Antioxidants - pharmacology; Biological and medical sciences; Birth control; Female; fertilization; Fertilization - drug effects; Fertilization - physiology; Fertilization in Vitro - methods; Gynecology. Andrology. Obstetrics; human spermatozoa; Humans; infertility; Lipid peroxidation; Lipid Peroxidation - drug effects; Male; Malondialdehyde - analysis; Malondialdehyde - metabolism; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Organelles - ultrastructure; Pregnancy; Pregnancy Rate; Prospective Studies; Spermatozoa - drug effects; Spermatozoa - metabolism; Spermatozoa - physiology; Sterility. Assisted procreation; vitamin E; Vitamin E - administration & dosage; Vitamin E - pharmacology; Lipid peroxidation; human spermatozoa; fertilization; infertility; vitamin E; Human; Spermatozoa; Prognosis; Semen; Vitamin; Assisted procreation; Lipids; Male; α-Tocopherol; Germinal cell; Antioxidant; Fecundation; In vitro; Chemotherapy; Treatment; Peroxidation
• ISSN: 0015-0282; 1556-5653
• DOI: 10.1016/S0015-0282(16)58514-8

To study the possible influence of antioxidant treatment on human spermatozoa and the fertilization rate in an IVF program. Prospective study. In Vitro Fertilization Unit, Serlin Maternity Hospital, and the Laboratory of Male Fertility, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan, Israel. Fifteen fertile normospermic male volunteers who had had low fertilization rates in their previous IVF cycles. Vitamin E (α-tocopherol) 200mg daily by mouth for 3months. Lipid peroxidation potential (amount of malondialdehyde [MDA]), quantitative ultramorphologic analysis of spermatozoa, and fertilization rate per cycle. The high MDA levels significantly decreased from 12.6 ± 9.4nmol/108 spermatozoa to normal levels of 7.8 ± 4.2nmol/108 spermatozoa after 1month of treatment. The fertilization rate per cycle increased significantly from 19.3 ± 23.3 to 29.1 ± 22.2 after 1month of treatment. No additional effects on MDA levels and fertilization rate were observed after completion of treatment. With regard to the quantitative ultramorphologic analysis, none of the sperm cell subcellular organelles were affected significantly by vitamin E treatment. Vitamin E may improve the fertilization rate of fertile normospermic males with low fertilization rates after 1month of treatment, possibly by reducing the lipid peroxidation potential, and with no change of the quantitative ultramorphologic analysis of subcellular organelles.