Date Palm Pollen Grains as a Potential Manager for Male Sub-fertility: A Clinical Trial

Medicinal plants are identified and used throughout human history; it has a great economic value especially in drugs discovery. Date palm pollen (DPP) is used traditionally in Sudan for treating sub-fertile male patients. Male infertility is heterogeneous group of disorders, most of them are idiopathic. This study is aimed to investigate the role of pharmaceutical preparation of DPP in amelioration of male sub fertility with detection of any possible adverse effects on the major body system functions, through blood picture, liver enzymes and kidney function. This study is a single group pretest-posttest experimental prospective comparative self-control. Sub-fertile men with Idiopathic oligoasthenozoospermia or azoospermia were received 500 mg capsules of DPP twice daily for three months after conducting their safety profiles to detect any toxic effects on hematological, hepatological and nephrological functions, Blood samples were taken from the patients for serum level of FSH (for azoospermic patients), FSH and Testosterone (for oligoasthenozoospermic patients). Finally, Semen sample have been obtained for computerized assisted semen analysis (CASA) report I and II. DPP administration induced significant increase (p≤0.001) in testosterone level (in oligoasthenozoospermic patients) and FSH level (in azoospermic patients). DPP induced significant changes (p≤0.001) towards improvement in the total and progressive sperm motility percentages measured in oligoasthenozoospermic patients by CASA dynamic analysis report I and II. The toxicological studies for DPP approved their safety use in human

Motilidad y morfología espermática: en estudiantes de la Universidad de Oriente / Motility and sperm morphology: in stundents of the Universidad de Oriente

Evaluar la motilidad y morfología espermática en los estudiantes de la Universidad de Oriente. Se realizó el espermatograma a 100 estudiantes de la Universidad de Oriente, Núcleo de Sucre, Cumaná, Venezuela, y se aplicó a los datos un análisis de regresión lineal simple con un nivel de confianza del 95 por ciento. El 12 por ciento de los estudiantes fueron astenospérmicos, 11 por ciento oligospérmicos y 9 por ciento oligoastenospérmicos. Los astenospérmicos, tuvieron una correlación negativa moderada entre motilidad y anormalidades de la pieza principal (r=-0,58), estadísticamente significativa. En los oligoastenospérmicos hubo una correlación lineal negativa moderada (r=-0,57) entre motilidad y anormalidades de cabeza, estadísticamente no significativa. Se sugiere que la causa probable de alteración de la motilidad progresiva, es por defectos de la cola y exceso de citoplasma residual en espermatozoides de estudiantes astenospérmicos, y anormalidades de cabeza en espermatozoides de oligoastenospérmicos.

To evaluate motility and sperm morphology in students of the Universidad de Oriente. We performed semen analysis to 100 students from the Universidad de Oriente, Nuclei Sucre, Cumana, Venezuela, according to WHO criteria, 1999, and applied to the data a simple linear regression analysis with a confidence level of 95 percent. Diagnosis was 12 percent asthenozoospermic, 11 percent oligozoospermic and 9 percent oligoasthenozoospermic. The asthenozoospermic, had a moderate negative linear correlation between motility and principal piece abnormalities (r =- 0.58) statistically significant. In oligoasthenozoospermic there was a moderate negative correlation (r =-0.57) between motility and abnormalities of the head, not statistically significant. We suggest that the probable cause of altered motility is principal tail defects and excess residual cytoplasm in sperm asthenozoospermic students, and abnormalities in sperm head oligoasthenozoospermic.

Oxidative stress and sperm mitochondrial DNA mutation in idiopathic oligoasthenozoospermic men.

Physiological function of reactive oxygen species (ROS) has been known since a long, but recently toxic effects of ROS on spermatozoa have gained much importance in male infertility. Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) is believed to be both source and target of ROS. mtDNA unlike nuclear DNA is not compactly packed and hence more susceptible to oxidative stress (OS) than nuclear DNA. In the present study, the role of OS in mitochondrial genome changes was studied in men with idiopathic infertility. The study included 33 infertile oligo-asthenozoospermic (OA) men and 30 fertile controls. Semen analyses were performed and OS was measured by estimating the level of malondialdehye (MDA) in the seminal plasma and ROS in the sperm. Sperm mtDNA was sequenced by standard PCR-DNA sequencing protocol for ATPase and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide dehydrogenase (ND) groups of genes. Sperm count and progressive motility were found to be significantly lower in infertile group than the fertile controls. Semen MDA and ROS levels of infertile group were significantly higher (p<0.0001), when compared to the control group. However, catalase and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) levels were significantly lower in infertile group, compared to controls, but no significant difference in superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity was observed between control and cases. This might be due to higher expression of SOD alone in order to overcome OS in the semen. mtDNA analysis showed significant and high frequency of nucleotide changes in the ATPase (6 and 8), ND (2, 3, 4 and 5) genes of infertile cases compared to the controls. Hence excess ROS and low antioxidant levels in the semen might cause mtDNA mutations and vice versa in OA men that might impair the fertilizing capacity of spermatozoa. Thus, it is important to understand the etiology of mitochondrial genome mutations in idiopathic OA cases for better diagnostic and prognostic value in infertility treatment/assisted reproductive technique