Effect of Ascorbic Acid on Male Fertility

Abstract

INTRODUCUONLindsay and Medes showed in 1926 that a diet deficient in ascorbic acid (AA) for one month caused a massive degeneration of the germinal epithelium with desquamation into the lumina of the tubules in the testes of guinea pigs.' In 1941, it was reported that the seminal plasma of normal man contains 12.8 2 1.6 mg/dl of AA, which is actively concentrated and secreted by the seminal vesicles during ejaculation.24 This level is many times the 0.2-1.40 mg/dl level normally found in serum, and suggests a vital metabolic role for AA in the seminal plasma. In 1960, Lindahl and Kihlstrom described a proteinaceous substance in seminal plasma, which appears in two forms (oxidized or reduced), and which is reversibly transformed from one form to the other.5 The reduced form has antiagglutinic activity-that is, it prevents clumping and immotility of sperm in seminal plasma. This form is attached to the surface of the sperm and loses its ability to be fixed to the cell surface when oxidized. Ascorbic acid, a biological reducing agent, has been shown to reduce the oxidized protein in several in vitro studies6 In 1986, the studies of Lindsay and Medes were duplicated when male guinea pigs with proven fertility were placed on an avitaminotic C diet for 3 weeks and sacrificed. The most severe histological damage was observed in the testicular tissue. The most pronounced damage was in the cauda epididymus, wherein sperm undergo maturation, with thickened peritubular muscle layer and connective tissue, decreased tubular diameter and epithelial cell height, and nuclear pycnosis. Similarly affected was the vas deferens and accessory sex glands, although to a lesser degree. Sperm analysis of semen samples collected from testis, cauda epididymus, and vas deferens showed decline in total sperm count and sperm motility, as well as an increase in the number of abnormal sperm.'Over a decade ago, the obstetricians of our clinical service commenced prescribing AA to husbands when it was apparent from fertility testing of both husband and wife that infertility was possibly due to sperm agglutination in excess of 25%. The practice is to prescribe 1 g per day for 10 days and then 500 mg per day through two menstrual cycles (60 days). This practice has proved successful. Subsequently, we reported a comparison of the differences in sperm qualities between a group of 20 men with sperm agglutination over 25% who followed the AA supplementation protocol and 312

Evaluation of the efficacy of separate oral supplements compared with the combined oral supplements of vitamins c and e on sperm motility in wistar rats

“…Other studies done with vitamin C only supplement that lends credence to the findings of this study are those of Dawson et al (1983Dawson et al ( , 1990 and Akmal et al, (2006) which showed that vitamin C administration improve sperm motility, count and morphology. Similarly, Yarube et al, (2008) and Afolabi et al, (2008) in their separate studies with vitamins C and E showed that the antioxidant effects of these vitamins were more remarkable when used as separate supplements, with improvements in sperm counts and related indices.…”

“…Vitamin C (known also as ascorbic acid) has been shown to be effective in treating sperm agglutination (Dawson, Harris and McGavity, 1983). 1g of daily oral vitamin C is said to help increase fertility in men who have problems with sperm agglutination, while among smokers, there was an improvement in sperm quality with vitamin C administration [Dawson, Harris and Powell, 1990].…”

Comparison of Efficacy of Low Dose and High Dose Antioxidants along with Antibiotics in Idiopathic Oligo, Astheno and Oligoasthenospermia

“…Moreover, trial was given only for six ovulatory cycles after improvement of semen parameters. Different studies showed the positive effect of direct antioxidants in improving sperm count and motility [32][33][34][35][36][37][38][39][40][41]. Some studies showed positive effect of using vitamin E in high doses (600 and 800 IU daily) [42,43].…”

“…In men certain nutrients are essential for formation of healthy sperm. Micronutrients like vitamin C, vitamin E, L-carnitine, zinc, vitamin B complex have positive effect on both sperm count and motility [32][33][34][35][36][37][38][39][40][41]. In addition of high intake of fruits, vegetables, whole grains and nuts, supplements are also needed for noticeable effects on sperm quality.…”

Nutraceutical in male reproduction

“…(Greco et al, 2005;Colagar & Marzony, 2009;Mendiola et al, 2010). Ascorbic acid is found in high concentrations in seminal plasma, being proportional to its consumption (Dawson et al, 1987).…”