Isotretinoin for the treatment of nonobstructive azoospermia

Amory, John K.; Müller, Charles; Walsh, Thomas J.

doi:10.4103/aja.aja_18_21

Cited by 6 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 13 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…This sperm was used in an assisted reproductive technology program with an intracytoplasmic injection procedure, there was one pregnancy, and live birth was successful. 5 The results of this study indicate that the use of RA affects the process of spermatogenesis, which may have stopped earlier.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 70%

“…Finally, four studies were included in this review (Table 1). [5][6][7][8] The four studies that met our criteria were single-arm observational studies. Two are from the USA, one is from Turkey, and one is from Egypt.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…8 In a study using patients with azoospermia, the use of RA was reported by some participants to produce sperm after several weeks of using RA. 5 In this study, a surgical sperm retrieval procedure was also carried out. The results found a change in the profile of germ cells in the testes where sperm was collected.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

A systematic review of retinoic acid in the journey of spermatogonium to spermatozoa: From basic to clinical application

2022

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background: Retinoic acid plays an essential role in testicular development and functions, especially spermatogenesis. We have reviewed the role of retinoic acid from basic (molecular) to clinical application. Methods: A search was conducted in the online database including PubMed, Google Scholar, and Scopus for English studies published in the last eight years about this issue. We used the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines in assessing the studies we are going to investigate. Results: Studies indicated that retinoic acid plays an essential role during pluripotent stem cell migration and lineage commitment, cell differentiation, apoptosis, stem cell number regulation, and maturation arrest in spermatogenic cells. Retinoic acid can also affect related protein expression and signaling pathways at different stages of spermatogenesis. Four studies have applied retinoic acid to humans, all of them in the single-arm observational study. The results look promising but need further research with more controlled study methods, randomization, and large samples. Conclusions: This current systematic review emphasizes a novel retinoic acid mechanism that has not been well described in the literature previously on its functions during the first seven days of spermatogenesis, leading to new directions or explanations of male infertility cause and treatments as a part of reproductive health care.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 70%

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

A systematic review of retinoic acid in the journey of spermatogonium to spermatozoa: From basic to clinical application

2022

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Amory et al. reported that fertility increased after isotretinoin treatment in oligoasthenozoospermic and azoospermic patients in two recent studies [ 17 , 27 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effect of systemic isotretinoin therapy on semen parameters

Gürel

Fırat

et al. 2023

Annals of Medicine

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Purpose Vitamin A has multiple functions in the human body, being involved in growth, epithelial differentiation, vision, immune function and reproduction. While normal spermatogenesis is influenced by several factors, it requires vitamin A. Systemic isotretinoin is a vitamin A derivative that is used in the treatment of many dermatological diseases, especially acne vulgaris (AV). There is limited research on the changes in semen parameters after systemic isotretinoin therapy in humans. Our study investigates the presence of varicoceles in patients undergoing systemic isotretinoin therapy for AV and examines whether there were any changes in the semen parameters before and after treatment. Methods Included in the study were 46 men patients who were scheduled for systemic isotretinoin therapy for AV. Before treatment, the patients underwent a physical examination and ultrasonography for varicoceles assessment. The patients underwent spermiogram before treatment and after 6 months of treatment. The spermiogram assessments included semen volume, sperm concentration, total sperm count, progressive motility, viability and sperm morphology. Results After treatment, there was an increase in semen volume, sperm concentration, total sperm count, progressive motility and vitality from the pre-treatment values, but a deterioration in the sperm morphology ( p < .05). Comparing patients with and without varicoceles revealed more changes in semen parameters after treatment in those with varicoceles. There was a statistically significant difference in sperm concentration ( p < .001). Conclusions Systemic isotretinoin therapy negatively affects sperm morphology, but has positive effect on other semen parameters, and these changes in semen parameters occur more frequently in patients with varicoceles. KEY MESSAGES Acne vulgaris is a very common disease and systemic isotretinoin is used as the most effective agent in its treatment. Systemic isotretinoin positively affects semen parameters except sperm morphology. Changes in semen parameters are more common in patients with varicocele.

show abstract

“…The RA synthetic pathway has been proposed both as a possible origin of some infertility and as a potential male contraceptive target (Hogarth et al 2011a). In pilot studies, isotretinoin therapy was shown to improve sperm production in some men with oligoasthenozoospermia and has been used for treatment of non-obstructive azoospermia (Amory et al 2017(Amory et al , 2021. WIN 18,446 is an effective contraceptive, but side effects such as susceptibility to alcohol do not make use feasible in humans.…”

Section: Retinoic Acid In Human Testismentioning

confidence: 99%

Cellular and molecular basis for the action of retinoic acid in spermatogenesis

Griswold

2022

Journal of Molecular Endocrinology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Spermatogenesis is a highly organized and regulated process that requires the constant production of millions of gametes over the reproductive lifetime of the mammalian male. This is possible because of an active stem cell pool and an ordered entry into the germ cell developmental sequence. The ordered entry is a result of the synthesis and action of retinoic acid allowing for the onset of spermatogonial differentiation and an irreversible commitment to spermatogenesis. The periodic appearance and actions of retinoic acid along the seminiferous tubules is a result of the interactions between germ cells and Sertoli cells that results in the generation and maintenance of the cycle of the seminiferous epithelium.

show abstract

Isotretinoin for the treatment of nonobstructive azoospermia

Cited by 6 publications

References 13 publications

A systematic review of retinoic acid in the journey of spermatogonium to spermatozoa: From basic to clinical application

A systematic review of retinoic acid in the journey of spermatogonium to spermatozoa: From basic to clinical application

Effect of systemic isotretinoin therapy on semen parameters

Cellular and molecular basis for the action of retinoic acid in spermatogenesis

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About