Hypospermia Improvement in Dogs Fed on a Nutraceutical Diet

Abstract

Male dog infertility may represent a serious concern in the canine breeding market. The aim of this clinical evaluation was to test the efficacy of a commercially available nutraceutical diet, enriched with Lepidium meyenii, Tribulus terrestris, L-carnitine, zinc, omega-3 (N-3) fatty acids, beta-carotene, vitamin E, and folic acid, in 28 male dogs suffering from infertility associated with hypospermia. All dogs received the diet over a period of 100 days. At the end of the evaluation period, no adverse effects, including head and tail anomalies percentage onset, were reported. Interestingly, motility percentage, semen volume and concentration, and total number of sperms per ejaculation significantly increased. Further investigations on a wider cohort of dogs might be useful to better correlate the presence of oxytetracycline in pet's diet and the onset of infertility and clearly assess the action mechanism of an oxytetracycline-free nutraceutical diet.

A possible correlation between diet, serum oxytetracycline concentration, and onset of reproductive disturbances in bitches: clinical observations and preliminary results

“…A similar trend was also observed for OTC serum concentration. We hypothesized that the alteration of reproductive functions, both in males and bitches, may be due to a state of chronic inflammation caused by the presence of harmful substances and contaminants (including OTC) within the body, which can be introduced by ordinary commercial pet food consumption [33][34][35]37]. Moreover, several studies showed the effects of antibiotics (tetracyclines, sulfa drugs, penicillins, aminoglycosides, and nitrofurans) and also heavy metals (cadmium, lead, and mercury) on the reproductive system, inducing estrous cycle disruption, impaired embryo implantation, impendent follicular development, breast and endometrial cancer, endometriosis, spontaneous abortions, sperm motility, and viability reduction [41][42][43][44][45][46].…”

“…Moreover, several studies showed the effects of antibiotics (tetracyclines, sulfa drugs, penicillins, aminoglycosides, and nitrofurans) and also heavy metals (cadmium, lead, and mercury) on the reproductive system, inducing estrous cycle disruption, impaired embryo implantation, impendent follicular development, breast and endometrial cancer, endometriosis, spontaneous abortions, sperm motility, and viability reduction [41][42][43][44][45][46]. It is also worth noting that previous in vitro evaluations highlighted the cytotoxic, proapoptotic, and proinflammatory effect of chicken bone treated with OTC according to appropriate withdrawal times [37,47,48] as well as the ability to induce DNA damages (activation of ATM and p53, phosphorylation of H2AX, and modifications of histone H3 methylation of lysine K4 in the chromatin) of the liquid form of OTC [49].…”

“…The present clinical evaluation was based on standardized protocols used in canine reproduction and its aim was to evaluate the effect of a specific nutraceutical diet on the reproductive performance of 36 bitches presenting evident reproductive disturbances and possibly correlate them with serum concentration of a contaminant, oxytetracycline (OTC), frequently detected in pet food [33][34][35][36]. We previously observed the usefulness of a nutraceutical diet enriched with Lepidium meyenii, Tribulus terrestris, L-carnitine, zinc, beta-carotene, vitamin E, folic acid, and an omega-6:omega-3 ratio of 4:1 in improving motility percentage, semen volume and concentration, and total number of sperm per ejaculation in 28 male dogs suffering from infertility associated with hypospermia [37]. Moreover, literature reports evidenced an increased excretion of conjugated estrogens in the feces of men and women treated with several antibiotics, including OTC, thus reducing the hormone concentrations in circulation.…”

Extender Supplementation with Glutathione (GSH) and Taurine Improves In Vitro Sperm Quality and Antioxidant Status of New Zealand Rabbits during Chilled Storage for up to 72 hours

“…In each collection, fresh semen samples were microscopically examined and evaluated after removing the gel clot. The spermatozoa activity was microscopically evaluated at 100x (to evaluate mass motility) and 400x (for individual motility) using a phase-contrast microscope (Micros Austria, Micros St. Veit Hunnenbrunn–Gewerbezone, Veit/Glan, Austria) [ 43 ]. A Neubauer hemocytometer was used to measure sperm concentration.…”

Zinc in Dog Nutrition, Health and Disease: A Review

“…A work by Alonge et al showed that a commercial dry diet, including a complex of vitamin E (250 mg/kg), selenium (0.27 mg/kg), zinc (180 mg/kg), folic acid (1.5 mg/kg), and omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (5 g/kg) increased the number of spermatozoa, and improved motility and membrane properties of the ejaculate in healthy normospermic dogs [ 148 ]. Moreover, dogs suffering from infertility were given a nutraceutical diet with balanced omega-6:omega-3 ratio (4:1), enriched with zinc (50 mg/kg), Lepidium meyenii (865 mg/kg), Tribulus terrestris (52 mg/kg), l -carnitine (420 mg/kg), beta-carotene (230 mg/kg), vitamin E (240 mg/kg), and folic acid (0.27 mg/kg), that increased motility percentage, semen volume and concentration, and the total number of sperms per ejaculation [ 149 ]. However, in both studies, the effects of zinc were not isolated.…”