The influence of ginger (Zingiber officinale) on human sperm quality and DNA fragmentation: A double-blind randomized clinical trial

Abstract

Background:Although the effectiveness of ginger as an antioxidant agent has been exploited, little human research has been conducted on its activity on male reproductive functions.Objective:This study was designed to investigate the effects of ginger (Zingiber officinale) on sperm DNA fragmentation (SDF) in infertile men. Materials and Methods:This randomized double-blind, placebo-controlled trial with a 1:1 allocation was performed on 100 infertility treatment candidates who were admitted to Royan Institute for Reproductive Biomedicine, Tehran, Iran. Patients were randomly assigned to receive one of two treatments: ginger and placebo. Patients were given a 3-month oral treatment (members received capsules containing 250 mg of ginger powder twice a day in ginger and a placebo in other group). Before and after treatment, standardized semen samples were obtained to determine sperm concentration, motility, and SDF according to World Health Organization.Results:There was no significant difference between two groups regarding SDF at baseline (53.48. 95%CI: 37.95-69.02) in cases and (56.75, 95%CI: 40.01-73.5) in controls. The average positive percentage of SDF in patients receiving ginger (17.77, 95%CI: 6.16-29.39) was lower compared with placebo (40.54, 95%CI: 23.94-57.13) after three month of treatment (p=0.02). In multivariate analysis, SDF was significantly lower in patients receiving ginger compared with placebo (mean difference: 3.21, 95%CI: 0.78-5.63, p=0.009). There were no significant differences between two groups regarding to semen parameters.Conclusion:The present study has demonstrated that ginger in a controlled study of efficacy was effective in decreasing SDF in infertile men.

Effect of ginger (Zingiber officinale) on semen quality

“…Generally, ginger roots (rhizomes) are widely used as a food spice (Eliopoulos, ). In addition, it is commonly used in traditional medicine because of its inherited and evidence‐based health benefits in wide‐range of diseased conditions/disorders such as cancers (Chen et al, ; Saha et al, ; Salafzoon, Mahmoodzadeh Hosseini, & Halabian, ), diabetes (Al Hroob, Abukhalil, Alghonmeen, & Mahmoud, ; Zhu, Chen, Song, Wang, & Sun, ), cardiovascular disease (Liu et al, ; Nicoll & Henein, ), male infertility (Banihani, ; Hosseini et al, ), ulcer (Liu et al, ; Wang et al, ), depression (Kukula‐Koch et al, ), rheumatoid arthritis (Funk, Frye, Oyarzo, & Timmermann, ), Alzheimer (Cuya, Baptista, Franca, & T., ) and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (Sahebkar, ). In actual fact, the impact of ginger on human health is attributable to its potent bioactive properties such as antioxidant (Danwilai, Konmun, Sripanidkulchai, & Subongkot, ; Masuda, Kikuzaki, Hisamoto, & Nakatani, ), anti‐inflammatory (Jeena, Liju, & Kuttan, ), immuno‐modulatory (Ali, Blunden, Tanira, & Nemmar, ), antimicrobial (Park, Bae, & Lee, ) and anti‐tumorigenic properties (Ali et al, ).…”

Zingiber Officinale Water Extract Effect on Sperm of Alloxan-Induced Diabetic Mice: an In Vitro Examination of Sperm DNA Fragmentation, Fertilization and Embryonic Development Outcomes

“…of water extract. Aleissa (2014) and Hosseini et al, (2016) have suggested that Z. officinale roots have an improvement effect on sperm parameters in mice. Also, treated male mice showed a significant reduction of DNA fragmentation of sperms and increased the level of serum testosterone compared with the negative control group.…”

“…Also, treated male mice showed a significant reduction of DNA fragmentation of sperms and increased the level of serum testosterone compared with the negative control group. This reduction in sperm DNA fragmentation and level of serum testosterone may relate to the antioxidant property and androgenic effect respectively of Z. officinale [14,29]. The reduction in sperm DNA fragmentation may occur as a result of the ability of the bioactive compounds to break the chain reaction of oxidation free radicals; since, sperm DNA fragmentation in diabetic men of reproductive age results from access amount of Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS), which generated from hyperglycemia, [30,31].…”

“…Recently, researchers have investigated the potential effect of Zingiber officinale (Z. officinale) in enhancing fertility in diabetic male as it possesses anti-diabetic activity [10,13]. Zingiber officinale belongs to the family (Zingiberaceae) and it is characterised by its anti-inflammatory, hypoglycemic, anti-apoptotic, androgenic and antioxidant properties [14]. In fact, the expression of these biological activities is related to the presence of various potentially bioactive substances such as zingerone, gingerdiol, zingibrene, gingerols and shogaols [15].…”

Erkek infertilitesi ve erektil disfonksiyon tedavisinde tamamlayıcı tıp: Moleküler düzeyde etki mekanizmaları ve klinik sonuçlar

“…İnfertil 100 erkeğin değerlendirildiği randomize kontrollü çift-kör bir çalışmada zencefil tedavisi alan grupta sperm DNA fragmantasyonunun anlamlı şekilde azaldığı ancak semen parametrelerinde önemli bir değişiklik olmadığı bildirilmiştir. [51] Bir çok deneysel çalışmada zencefilin semen parametrelerini iyileştirdiği gösterilmiştir. [52] Panax Ginseng (Kore Ginsengi)…”