This study was financially supported by the National Nutrition and Food Technology Research Institute, Faculty of Nutrition and Food Technology, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Science, Tehran, Iran. No conflict of interests to declare.

Low seminal plasma concentrations of coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) have been correlated with impaired sperm parameters, but the exact mechanism remains of dominating interest. This randomised, placebo-controlled study examined the effect of CoQ10 on catalase, superoxide dismutase (SOD) and F 2 -isoprostanes in seminal plasma in infertile men and their relation with CoQ10 concentration. Sixty infertile men with idiopathic oligoasthenoteratozoospermia (OAT) were randomised to receive 200 mg d À1 of CoQ10 or placebo for 3 months. 47 persons of them completed the study. Semen analysis, anthropometric measurements, diet and physical activity assessment were performed for subjects before and after treatment. Independent and paired t-test, chi-square test and ANCOVA were compared outcomes of supplementation between two groups. CoQ10 levels increased from 44.74 AE 36.47 to 68.17 AE 42.41 ng ml À1 following supplementation in CoQ10 (P < 0.001). CoQ10 group had higher catalase and SOD activity than the placebo group. There was a significant positive correlation between CoQ10 concentration and normal sperm morphology (P = 0.037), catalase (P = 0.041) and SOD (P < 0.001). Significant difference was shown between the mean of changes in seminal plasma 8-isoprostane in two groups (P = 0.003) after supplementation. Three-month supplementation with CoQ10 in OAT infertile men can attenuate oxidative stress in seminal plasma and improve semen parameters and antioxidant enzymes activity.

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The infrequent presence of spermatozoa in cryptozoospermic men ejaculate is a limiting factor in the treatment of them. Sometimes, this consideration impels us to apply meticulous microscopic search in ejaculate or testicular sperm extraction (TESE) method. The aim of this study was to assess putative effectiveness of sperm origin, ejaculated or testicular, in cryptozoospermia treatment. In this context, were evaluated intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) outcomes in two parameters including fertilisation rate (2PN) and embryo quality, independently. We compared the outcome in two groups: patients who underwent ejaculate/ICSI and ones who underwent TESE/ICSI process. Nineteen ICSI cycles performed with testicular spermatozoa and the rest of cycles (n = 208) carried out with ejaculated spermatozoa. Result analysis showed similar fertilisation rate between testicular and ejaculated spermatozoa (respectively, 60% versus 68%, P ≥ 0.05). Also, on the other hand, embryo quality did not show significant differences between two groups, except grade A with low significance. With regard to almost equal performance of both methods in results and being invasive of TESE as surgical sperm retrieval method, the use of ejaculated sperm more than testicular sperm should be recommended in patients with cryptozoospermia whenever possible.

Our findings suggest that adherence to the Western pattern is potentially an unfavorable indicator of asthenozoospermia risk and a diet composed mainly of plant-based foods may be associated with a reduced risk.

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The association of dietary nutrient patterns and sperm motility is not yet well elucidated, and previous studies have just focused on the isolated nutrients. This case-control study examined the association of nutrient patterns with asthenozoospermia among Iranian men. In total, 107 incident asthenozoospermic men and 235 age-matched controls were interviewed through the infertility clinics in Tehran, Iran, from January 2012 to November 2013. Semen quality data were analysed according to the fifth edition of WHO guideline. Nutrient patterns were identified using principal component analysis based on semiquantitative 168-item food frequency questionnaires. All nutrient intakes were energy-adjusted by the residual method. In principal component analysis, three dietary patterns emerged. The first pattern, which was high in vitamin E, vitamin D, vitamin C, zinc, folate, total fibre, selenium and polyunsaturated fatty acids, was significantly associated with lower risk of asthenozoospermia. After adjustment for potential confounders, participants in the highest tertile of the first pattern scores had 51% lower risk of asthenozoospermia compared with those in the lowest (p-trend: .004). Our findings suggest that adherence to the pattern comprising mainly of antioxidant nutrients may be inversely associated with asthenozoospermia.

Background It is unknown which compounds in spermatozoa or seminal plasma may be involved in the regulation of sperm motility. Objectives The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of DHA (22:6n–3), vitamin E, and their probable interactions in men with asthenozoospermia. Methods A factorial, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial was conducted in infertility clinics in Tehran, Iran. The participants were idiopathic asthenozoospermic men aged 20–45 y, with normal endocrine function. Their concentration of spermatozoa and percentage of morphologically normal spermatozoa were equal to or above the lower reference limits, according to the fifth edition of the WHO guideline. Out of 717 men referred to the infertility clinics, 180 asthenozoospermic men were randomly assigned to 1 of 4 groups according to stratified blocked randomization by age and sperm concentration. Participants took daily 465 mg DHA plus 600 IU vitamin E (DE), 465 mg DHA plus placebo (DP), 600 IU vitamin E plus placebo (EP), or both placebo capsules (PP) for 12 wk. Sperm characteristics, oxidative stress of seminal plasma, serum and sperm membrane fatty acids, dietary intakes, anthropometric measurements, and physical activity were measured at baseline and after 12 wk. Results After the intervention, mean ± SD sperm progressive motility was greater in the DE group (27.9 ± 2.8) than in the DP (25.7 ± 3.4), EP (26.1 ± 2.8), and PP (25.8 ± 2.6) groups (P &lt; 0.05). Sperm count (P = 0.001) and concentration (P = 0.044) increased significantly in the DE group compared with the other 3 groups, whereas other semen parameters were not significantly different between the groups after the intervention. Serum concentrations of n–3 PUFAs were significantly higher in the DE and DP groups than in the EP and PP groups. Conclusions Combined DHA and vitamin E supplements led to increased sperm motility; however, no significant changes occurred in sperm morphology and vitality in asthenozoospermic men. This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT01846325.