Department of Urology, Fertility Center, CHA Gangnam Medical Center, CHA University, Seoul, Korea.
Fertility Center, CHA Gangnam Medical Center, CHA University, Seoul, Korea.
Investig Clin Urol. 2021 May;62(3):354-360. doi: 10.4111/icu.20200394.
Phosphodiesterase type 5 (PDE5) inhibitors are effective treatments for erectile dysfunction, and several recent studies have reported positive effects of PDE5 inhibitors on semen parameters as well. However, the data are still controversial. We investigated the effect of PDE5 inhibitors on sperm function by analyzing sperm motility and acrosome reaction.
This study included young healthy men who underwent fertility evaluation; 32 cases were finally included. Men were excluded if they used a PDE5 inhibitor within 2 weeks or if they had insufficient semen volume (≤2 mL), leukocytospermia, or a genitourinary infection. Changes in sperm motility and acrosome reaction were determined after exposure to the maximal semen concentration of oral intake of sildenafil (100 mg) or tadalafil (20 mg).
Mean age of the participants was 35.4±4.9 years, mean sperm concentration was 68.7±32.4 ×10⁶/mL, and mean sperm motility was 50.38%±8.41%. All three groups (control, sildenafil, tadalafil) experienced trends of decreased average sperm motility over time, but these changes were not significant. There were no significant differences between the three groups in the acrosome reaction after 120 minutes of drug exposure, either. The maximal semen concentration of oral intake of sildenafil (100 mg) or tadalafil (20 mg) did not substantially affect sperm motility or acrosome reaction.
Our results suggest that on-demand use of a PDE5 inhibitor is safe and useful for the male partner of an infertile couple; however, further studies are warranted for daily PDE5 inhibitor use.
磷酸二酯酶 5 型(PDE5)抑制剂是治疗勃起功能障碍的有效方法,最近几项研究也报道了 PDE5 抑制剂对精液参数的积极影响。然而,数据仍存在争议。我们通过分析精子运动和顶体反应来研究 PDE5 抑制剂对精子功能的影响。
这项研究纳入了接受生育评估的年轻健康男性;最终纳入 32 例。如果男性在 2 周内使用 PDE5 抑制剂,或者精液量不足(≤2 mL)、白细胞增多症或泌尿生殖系统感染,则将其排除在外。在口服摄入西地那非(100 mg)或他达拉非(20 mg)的最大精液浓度下,确定精子运动和顶体反应的变化。
参与者的平均年龄为 35.4±4.9 岁,平均精子浓度为 68.7±32.4×10⁶/ml,平均精子活力为 50.38%±8.41%。所有三组(对照组、西地那非组、他达拉非组)的平均精子活力随时间呈下降趋势,但这些变化无统计学意义。药物暴露 120 分钟后,三组之间的顶体反应也无显著差异。口服摄入西地那非(100 mg)或他达拉非(20 mg)的最大精液浓度并未显著影响精子活力或顶体反应。
我们的研究结果表明,按需使用 PDE5 抑制剂对不孕夫妇的男性伴侣是安全且有用的;然而,每日使用 PDE5 抑制剂仍需要进一步研究。