Cigarette smoking and spermatozoa II. effect of ascorbic acid supplementation on spermatozoa of cigarette smokers [histochemical study]

ABSTRACT

The thirty heavy smoking men investigated in the first portion of our work were randomly divided into two subgroups [each contained 15 men]. Each participant from the first subgroup of smokers took one 1000-mg tablet of ascorbic acid [AA] daily for 4 weeks. For the same period, the members of the second subgroup took placebo tablets, serving as negative controls. Also, another fifteen of the non-smokers participated as a separate group and each took one 1000-mg tablet of AA daily for 4 weeks, serving as positive controls. The histochemical differences between sperms of cigarette smokers and non-smokers in the first portion of this work were surveyed. Serum and seminal plasma ascorbic acid levels were measured. Statistically significant increases in the histochemical reactions and ascorbic acid levels in the treated subgroup were observed weekly. After the 4 weeks of supplementation, no significant difference was detected between the treated subgroup and non-smokers. However, no significant changes were observed in the non-smokers or the placebo subgroup indicating that increased ascorbic acid bioavailability was associated with the pronounced improvement in sperm activity. These useful effects of AA supplementation may be due to its reductive properties nullifying the possible iniurious effects of the reactive oxidants of nicotine or nicotine melabolites