Probiotic effects on sperm parameters, oxidative stress index, inflammatory factors and sex hormones in infertile men

Abstract

Background: Impaired sperm production, decreased sperm motility, and increased oxidative stress levels are the main causes of male infertility. To evaluate effects of supplementation with probiotic on the spermatogram, seminal oxidative stress biomarkers, inflammatory factors and reproductive hormones. Methods: In this randomized, double-blind controlled clinical trial, 52 idiopathic asthenozoospermia men, attending urology clinic, were randomly assigned to one of intervention and placebo (n =26) groups. Participants in the intervention group took daily 500 mg Probiotic and those in the placebo group took daily placebo for 10 wk. Semen parameters, total antioxidant capacity, malondialdehyde, inflammatory factors, reproductive hormones, anthropometric and physical activity assessments were measured at the baseline and at the end of the study. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS software. Results: Out of 52 who participated in this study, 25 men in the intervention group and 25 men in the control group completed the protocol of the study. After the intervention, ejaculate volume, number, concentration and the percentage of motile sperm, total antioxidant capacity of plasma significantly increased in the intervention group and the concentration of plasma malondialdehyde and inflammatory markers significantly decreased in the intervention group. Conclusion: Probiotic supplementation in infertile men, leading to significant increase in concentration and motility and significant reduce in oxidative stress and inflammatory markers. Possibly oral intake of probiotic has the potential to be one of the ways to deal with oxidative damage sperm of infertile men. activity of antioxidant enzymes and also decrease the content of nitric oxide and malondialdehyde levels[14]. Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) and bifidobacteria are the greatest quantity regularly used probiotics, which has strong antioxidant properties. These metabolic antioxidant activities may be assigned to ROS scavenging, enzyme inhibition, and reduction activity or inhibition of ascorbate autoxidation in the intestine by neutralizing free radicals[15]. Also, several randomized controlled trials have now shown that microbial modification by probiotics may improve gastrointestinal symptoms and inflammation in rheumatoid arthritis, ulcerative colitis, and multiple sclerosis[16]. According to the mentioned issues, the present study designed to evaluate the efficacy of probiotic supplement on sperm quality, oxidative stress index, inflammatory factors and sex hormones in men with idiopathic infertility. Methods Study Design This study designed as a double blind randomized controlled clinical trial that approved with Ethics

The Microbiome, an Important Factor That Is Easily Overlooked in Male Infertility

“…The use of probiotics based on either Bacillus subtilis KA TMIRA1933 and Bacillus amyloliquefaciens B-1895 or of a mixture of strains in pedigree roosters can effectively improve the quality of sperm production, including increasing the volume of ejaculate, the spermatozoa concentration, and the total number of spermatozoa in the ejaculate, as well as decreasing the number of morphologically abnormal semen cells (Mazanko et al, 2018). The ameliorative effects of probiotics on sperm parameters and reproductive hormone levels have also been reported in different male murine models (Ibrahim et al, 2012;Dardmeh et al, 2017;Guo et al, 2020;Helli et al, 2020;Keshtmand et al, 2021). These probiotics, including Candida utilis (Cu.…”

“…No modification was found in infertile men treated with control substances (starch) ( Maretti and Cavallini, 2017 ). In another study on infertile men, their ejaculate volume (mean from 3.6 ± 0.91 mL to 4.94 ± 0.63 mL, p = 0.041), total sperm count (mean from 57.6 ± 7.09 10 6 sperm/ejaculate to 79.04 ± 14.21 sperm/ejaculate, p = 0.001), sperm concentration (mean from 16.25 ± 4.5 × 10 6 /mL to 20.77 ± 6.49 × 10 6 /mL, p = 0.001), percentage of motile sperm (mean from 25.19 ± 6.46% to 33.21 ± 7.91%, p = 0.037), live sperm (mean from 52.37 ± 10.13 to 62.43 ± 12.17, p = 0.003), and serum and seminal total antioxidant capacity (mean from 1.67 ± 0.19 μmol/L to 2.33 ± 0.6 μmol/L, p < 0.001) significantly increased; the serum and seminal malondialdehyde (mean from 0.9 ± 0.11 μmol/L to 0.69 ± 0.07 μmol/L, p = 0.003) and plasma inflammatory markers (mean of CRP from 6.93 ± 2.11 μM to 4.01 ± 1.09 μM, p = 0.001; mean of TNFα from 11.28 ± 3.12 μM to 8.85 ± 2.49 μM, p = 0.003) significantly decreased after intervention with Lactobacillus and Bifidobacteria species ( Helli et al, 2020 ).…”

The Use of Probiotics for Management and Improvement of Reproductive Eubiosis and Function

“…These positive effects have been seen in different infertility-related models. Infertility related to age [87], obesity [54], prostate diseases [34], and psychological and environmental stresses [84], as well as idiopathic infertility [8], can be improved by administering probiotics-based therapies either alone [8,85] or as a co-therapy [9]. In fact, regardless the different causes, male infertility seems to be concomitant to the inadequacy of testosterone levels and other sex hormones and the increase in inflammatory responses and oxidative stress [39,84].…”

“…Many studies have shown the positive effects of probiotics-based therapies on reproductive health in human [6][7][8][9] and animal models [10,11]. Probiotics support reproductive tract eubiosis and the fertility of the host due to their antimicrobial, antioxidant, antiinflammatory, and immunomodulatory activities.…”

“…In the field of human reproductive health, the use of probiotics either through oral or vaginal route of administration has proved its effectiveness against many reproductive disorders in women (i.e., vaginosis, polycystic ovary syndrome, and pre-term delivery [12,13]). Similarly, probiotics show positive effects on male fertility and semen quality [8]. In animal models, probiotics have been used to mitigate the negative effects of many reproductive disorders, specifically those impairing the immune-inflammatory system and/or due to the action of infectious diseases such as post-partum endometritis [14].…”