Effect of Natural Antioxidants Tocopherol and Ascorbic Acids in Maintenance of Sperm Activity During Freeze-Thaw Process

Abstract

Excessive generation of reactive oxygen species and increased peroxidation of the phospholipids in the membrane is proposed as a biochemical basis for the reduced activity of spermatozoa in cryopreserved semen. The possible role of alpha-tocopherol (VE) and ascorbic acid (VC) in improving the quality of frozen semen was investigated. Semen samples were divided into aliquots and frozen in freezing media with and without VC or VE. Sperm parameters, including motility after thawing and also at 2 h, % grade A motility (rapid and linear forward progression), and hypoosmotic swelling (HOS) scores, were measured in all samples. Vitamin C did not result in any improvement in sperm parameters studies. Vitamin E improved the post-thaw motility minimally. This improvement, although statistically significant, was actually very small. There were, however, wide variations between the samples. The motility improvement was considered in 5 of 12 samples, and HOS improved in some of the samples tested with VE. Future studies are needed to determine if these antioxidants can produce a consistent improvement in some individuals rather than help the majority of patients.

The role of antioxidant therapy in the treatment of male infertility: an overview

“…Only four of these studies [28][29][30][31] found little or no effect on semen parameters, whereas beneficial effects were reported in the remaining 18 studies. 8,19,[32][33][34][35][36][37][38][39][40][41][42][43][44][45][46][47] In vitro studies. Two studies by Aitken et al 8,32 on the effects of vitamin E showed that 10 mmol l 21 suppressed lipid peroxidation, leading to preserved motility in vitro, with a dose-dependent effect.…”

“…Two studies by Aitken et al 8,32 on the effects of vitamin E showed that 10 mmol l 21 suppressed lipid peroxidation, leading to preserved motility in vitro, with a dose-dependent effect. Askari et al 33 reported the effect of vitamin E (10 mmol l 21 ) in combination with cryoprotectants in preserving sperm motility during thawing procedures. In fact, oxidative stress from cryopreservation is commonly associated with a dramatic decrease in sperm motility, 48,49 and vitamin E seems to be capable of preserving sperm motility more than cryoprotectants alone.…”

“…Vitamin E Aitken and Clarkson, 1988 32 Aitken et al, 1989 8 Askari et al, 1994 33 Verma and Kanwar, 1998 34 Reduced lipid peroxidation; preserved motility (10 mmol l 21 , in vitro)…”

The in vitro effects of superoxide, some commercially available antioxidants and red palm oil on sperm motility

“…Contradicting reports exists regarding the effect of antioxidant supplementation on sperm motility in both fresh liquefied and frozen-thawed semen from various species, including human [17,[48][49][50][51], the effect being dependent of the antioxidant employed and the dose used [52]. Johnson and Guilivic [53] argued that the conversion of superoxide anion to hydrogen peroxide by SOD may have anti-and pro-oxidant consequences.…”

“…A variety of defense mechanisms including antioxidant enzymes (superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase, glutathione peroxidase and reductase), vitamins (E, C and carotenoids) and biomolecules (ubiquinol) are involved [14,15]. Studies have shown that some pharmaceutical [16] and nutritive substances [17,18] improved sperm motility. Red palm oil (RPO), which is regarded as the only vegetable oil with a balanced composition of saturated and unsaturated fatty acids both in processed and unprocessed forms [19], contains carotenoids, phosphatides, sterols, tocopherols and trace metals [20,21].…”