Effect of Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Zinc, Selenium, and Coenzyme Q10 in Infertile Men with Idiopathic Oligoasthenozoospermia

Abstract

ABSTRACT Introduction Accumulating evidence suggests that oxidative stress plays an important role in the development of male infertility and recently antioxidants have been tried to treat men with idiopathic infertility. Objective To assess the effect of treatment with vitamin C, vitamin E, zinc, selenium, and coenzyme Q10 on seminal fluid parameters in infertile men with idiopathic oligoasthenozoospermia. Materials and methods A prospective randomized trial was conducted on 32 infertile men with idiopathic oligoasthenozoospmia who received a daily supplement of one caplet containing vitamin C (90 mg/day), vitamin E (15 mg/day), coenzyme Q10 (4 mg/day), selenium (30 µg/day), and zinc (5 mg/day) for 3 months. Semen analysis was performed at baseline and 3 months after treatment using World Health Organization (WHO) 2010 guidelines. Results Significant improvement in sperm concentration was observed after combination therapy (9.13 ± 4.29 vs 11.3 ± 6.05 × 106/mL, p < 0.05). Sperm progressive motility (18.1 ± 8.68 vs 24.6 ± 10.2%, p < 0.01) and total motility (28.4 ± 8.71 vs 34.4 ± 11.7%, p < 0.01) also increased significantly following treatment. No change, however, was observed in semen volume or the proportion of sperms with normal morphology. Conclusion The combination of vitamin C, vitamin E, zinc, selenium, and coenzyme Q10 can significantly improve sperm concentration and motility in infertile men with idiopathic oligo­asthenozoospermia, which could be attributed to their synergistic antioxidant action. How to cite this article Alahmar AT. Effect of Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Zinc, Selenium, and Coenzyme Q10 in Infertile Men with Idiopathic Oligoasthenozoospermia. Int J Infertil Fetal Med 2017;8(2):45-49.