Greco Ermanno, Iacobelli Marcello, Rienzi Laura, Ubaldi Filippo, Ferrero Susanna, Tesarik Jan
Centre for Reproductive Medicine, European Hospital, Rome, Italy.
J Androl. 2005 May-Jun;26(3):349-53. doi: 10.2164/jandrol.04146.
Sperm DNA fragmentation is known to compromise male fertility. Previous findings have suggested the implication of oxidative stress in the etiology of this pathological condition. The present study was conducted to find out if the pathologically increased incidence of DNA fragmentation in ejaculated spermatozoa can be reduced by oral treatment with two antioxidants, vitamins C and E. Sixty-four men with unexplained infertility and an elevated (> or = 15%) percentage of DNA-fragmented spermatozoa in the ejaculate were randomized between an antioxidant treatment (1 g vitamin C and 1 g vitamin E daily for 2 months) group and a placebo group. Sperm DNA fragmentation was evaluated by terminal deoxyribonucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick-end labeling assay before and after treatment. No differences in basic sperm parameters were found between the antioxidant treatment and the placebo group before or after treatment. However, the percentage of DNA-fragmented spermatozoa was markedly reduced (P < .001) in the antioxidant treatment group after the treatment (9.1 +/- 7.2) as compared with the pretreatment values (22.1 +/- 7.7). No difference in the pretreatment and posttreatment incidence of sperm DNA fragmentation was observed in the placebo group. These data show that sperm DNA damage can be efficiently treated with oral antioxidants administered during a relatively short time period.
精子DNA碎片化已知会损害男性生育能力。先前的研究结果提示氧化应激在此病理状况的病因学中起作用。本研究旨在查明，口服两种抗氧化剂维生素C和维生素E是否能降低射出精子中DNA碎片化发生率的病理性升高。64名患有不明原因不孕症且射出精液中DNA碎片化精子百分比升高（≥15%）的男性被随机分为抗氧化剂治疗组（每日1克维生素C和1克维生素E，持续2个月）和安慰剂组。在治疗前后通过末端脱氧核苷酸转移酶介导的dUTP缺口末端标记法评估精子DNA碎片化情况。治疗前和治疗后，抗氧化剂治疗组和安慰剂组之间的基本精子参数均无差异。然而，与治疗前值（22.1±7.7）相比，抗氧化剂治疗组治疗后DNA碎片化精子的百分比显著降低（P<0.001）（9.1±7.2）。安慰剂组治疗前和治疗后精子DNA碎片化的发生率无差异。这些数据表明，在相对较短的时间段内口服抗氧化剂能有效治疗精子DNA损伤。
