Effect of a treatment with vitamins, L-carnitine and coenzyme Q10 on sperm head vacuolization and DNA fragmentation on in vitro fertilization patients

Objective: The appearance of new diagnostic tools in the field of andrology, have allowed the study of new sperm quality markers, such as the presence of vacuoles in the nucleus of the spermatozoa, by means of high magnification microscopy, and sperm DNA fragmentation. Both quality markers can be affected by the presence of free oxygen radicals that cause cellular oxidation. In the present pilot study we try to assess the utility of a therapy with antioxidants to significantly reduce both the sperm vacuolization grade and sperm DNA fragmentation. Material and methods: In prospective study we included 65 patients, 33 of whom finished the study. Each patient brought two semen samples and underwent an antioxidant therapy with Androferti (R). Sperm head vacuolization and DNA fragmentation were both assessed in each sample. Results: It was observed a statistically significant increase of spermatozoa from grades I and II of vacuolization after one month of treatment. Also, sperm DNA fragmentation decreased after the treatment. Conclusions: Although this is a non-randomized study, it seems conclusive the importance of an antioxidant therapy to increase assisted reproduction outcomes, aiming to minimize the negative influence of sperm nuclear malformations and sperm DNA fragmentation. (C) 2011 Asociacion Espanola de Andrologia, Medicina Sexual y Reproductiva. Published by Elsevier Espana, S.L. All rights reserved.