Exact etiological factors of male infertility is called idiopathic male infertility. Some breakthroughs have been made in the treatment of the problem since the development of ICSI in 1992. However, traditional treatment should also be taken into account for individual male infertility. Medication as a traditional treatment is still one of the important therapeutic methods. The basic understanding of male infertility, the characteristics of its drug therapy, clinically used common drugs, the therapeutic efficacy and effect evaluation are reviewed in this article.
Humans ; Infertility, Male ; drug therapy ; etiology ; Male

Carnitine, an important compound in the beta-oxidative process of mitochondrial fatty acid, plays a significant role in the cardiovascular, nervous, and reproductive system. Recently, carnitine has been used as a therapeutic in the treatment of male infertility, erectile dysfunction, Peyronie's disease, etc. Accordingly, the objective of this review is to summarize the progress in researches on carnitine as a clinical therapy in andrology.
Carnitine ; therapeutic use ; Erectile Dysfunction ; drug therapy ; Humans ; Infertility, Male ; drug therapy ; Male

Industrialization and environmental pollution are bringing more problems to human reproduction and increasing the prevalence of male infertility. Western medicine has shown its limitations in the management of male infertility, especially that of oligoasthenospermia. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), however, has long and rich experiences in the treatment of oligoasthenospermia, with a large variety of medicinal prescriptions based on the TCM theories, among which Qilin Pills shows a particularly significant therapeutic effect on oligoasthenospermia, especially when combined with Western medicine. At present, published studies on Qilin Pills are mainly in the stage of clinical observation, while basic researches and studies on its relevant mechanisms are rarely seen.
Asthenozoospermia ; drug therapy ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; therapeutic use ; Humans ; Infertility, Male ; drug therapy ; Male ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Oligospermia ; drug therapy

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the therapeutic effects of Jujing granulation on asthenospermia.

METHODSThirty-six patients aged from 24 to 39 years with asthenospermia were received at our clinic of andrology from July 2004 to April 2005, and they were given Jujing granulation 120 ml twice a day for 3 months. The sperm parameters of the patients were analyzed by computer assisted sperm analysis system before and after Jujing granulation treatment.

RESULTSOf the 31 patients who accomplished 3-month Jujing granulation therapy, only 3 remained unimproved in sperm parameters, while the other 28 were significantly improved in rapid sperm motility, forward sperm motility and total sperm motility, except in sperm density. Five of the patients' wives got pregnant and one had a child.

CONCLUSIONOral Jujing granulation therapy is efficacious for asthenospermia.

Adult ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; therapeutic use ; Humans ; Infertility, Male ; drug therapy ; Male ; Phytotherapy

Male infertility has become a problem worldwide, and recent research has emphasized the development of more effective therapy options. Among natural compounds, rutin has been widely studied for its potential to treat dysfunction related to male infertility, including a reduction in sperm quality, spermatogenesis disruption and structural disruption in the testis. A thorough review of scientific literature published in several databases, including Google Scholar, PubMed/MEDLINE and Scopus, was used to synthesize the present state of research on the role of rutin in male reproductive health. Rutin has been shown to possess antiapoptotic, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities, among others, which are crucial in the management of male infertility. Numerous investigations have shown that rutin protects against male infertility and have explored the underlying mechanisms involved. The present review, therefore, assesses the therapeutic mechanisms involved in male infertility treatment using rutin. Rutin was able to mitigate the induced oxidative stress, apoptosis, inflammation, and related physiological processes that can cause testicular dysfunction. Please cite this article as: Rotimi DE, Elebiyo TC, Ojo OA. Therapeutic potential of rutin in male infertility: A mini review. J Integr Med. 2023; 21(2): 130-135.
Male ; Humans ; Rutin/analysis* ; Semen ; Testis ; Spermatozoa ; Oxidative Stress ; Infertility, Male/drug therapy*

OBJECTIVETo assess the efficacy of Yiqi Zhujing Particle in the treatment of idiopathic oligoasthenozoospermia.

METHODSWe equally randomized 78 patients with idiopathic oligoasthenozoospermia to a control group and a Yiqi Zhujing group, the former treated with oral medication of zinc gluconate liquid (10 ml, bid) and vitamin E (100 mg, bid), and the latter given Yiqi Zhujing Granule (1 packet, bid) in addition, both for 3 months. We compared the semen parameters and biochemical indexes of the seminal plasma obtained before and after medication between the two groups of patients.

RESULTSAfter 3 months of treatment, remarkable improvement was observed in the percentage of progressively motile sperm and sperm viability in the control group (P < 0.05) as well as in the total sperm count, sperm concentration, percentage of progressively motile sperm, and sperm viability in the Yiqi Zhujing group (P < 0.05). The total sperm count, sperm concentration, percentage of progressively motile sperm, and sperm viability were even more significantly improved in the Yiqi Zhujing than in the control group (P < 0.05). Besides, both groups showed different degrees of improvement in the biochemical indexes of the seminal plasma, and the Yiqi Zhujing group exhibited even more significant improvement in seminal plasma zinc, alpha-glucoside enzyme, seminal plasma fructose, and acid phosphatase than the control (P < 0.05). The improvement of sperm concentration was correlated positively with the change of seminal plasma zinc (r = 0.201, P < 0.05) but negatively with that of seminal plasma fructose after treatment (r = -0.136, P < 0.05). There was a positive correlation between the alpha-glucoside enzyme level and sperm viability (r = 0.314, P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONYiqi Zhujing Particle is effective for idiopathic oligoasthenozoospermia by significantly improving the total sperm count, sperm concentration, percentage of progressively motile sperm, sperm viability, seminal plasma zinc, seminal plasma fructose, and alpha-glucoside enzyme.

Adult ; Asthenozoospermia ; drug therapy ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; therapeutic use ; Humans ; Infertility, Male ; drug therapy ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Phytotherapy ; Young Adult

BACKGROUNDThin endometrium is associated with poor reproductive outcomes; estrogen treatment can increase endometrial thickness (EMT). The aim of this retrospective cohort study was to investigate the factors influencing the effectiveness of estrogen treatment and reproductive outcomes after the treatment in patients with thin endometrium.

METHODSRelevant clinical data of 101 patients with thin endometrium who had undergone estrogen treatment were collected. Possible factors influencing the effectiveness of treatment were analyzed retrospectively by logistic regression analysis. Eighty-seven infertile women without thin endometrium who had undergone assisted reproduction served as controls. The cases and controls were matched for age, assisted reproduction method, and number of embryos transferred. Reproductive outcomes of study and control groups were compared using Student's t-test and the Chi-square test.

RESULTSAt the end of estrogen treatment, EMT was ≥8 mm in 93/101 patients (92.1%). Effectiveness of treatment was significantly associated with maximal pretreatment EMT (P = 0.017) and treatment duration (P = 0.004). The outcomes of assisted reproduction were similar in patients whose treatment was successful in increasing EMT to ≥8 mm and the control group. The rate of clinical pregnancy in patients was associated with the number of good-quality embryos transferred in both fresh (P = 0.005) and frozen-thawed (P = 0.000) embryo transfer cycles.

CONCLUSIONSThinner EMT before estrogen treatment requires longer treatment duration and predicts poorer treatment outcomes. The effectiveness of treatment depends on the duration of estrogen administration. Assisted reproductive outcomes of patients whose treatment is successful (i.e., achieves an EMT ≥8 mm) are similar to those of controls. The quality of embryos transferred is an important predictor of assisted reproductive outcomes in patients treated successfully with exogenous estrogen.

Endometrium ; drug effects ; Estrogens ; therapeutic use ; Female ; Humans ; Infertility, Female ; drug therapy ; therapy ; Male ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy Rate ; Retrospective Studies

OBJECTIVETo observe the clinical effect of Sizi Zhongwang Capsule (SZC) combined with Western medicine (WM) in treating male sterility.

METHODSTwo hundred and sixty-one male patients with sterility were assigned to 3 groups, 64 in the WM group were treated with conventional Western medical therapy alone, 87 in the SZC group were treated with SZC alone, and 110 in the combined group were treated with SZC combined Western medical therapy. The treatment lasted for 90 days in total. Changes of semen related parameters before and after treatment were observed, and the conditions of pregnancy in patients' spouse were followed-up.

RESULTSThe difference in semen related parameters before and after treatment showed insignificant in the WM group (P > 0.05), but it did show statistical significance in the SZC group and the combined group (P < 0.05, P < 0.01). Moreover, the best effect was shown in the combined group, showing significant difference to the other two groups (P < 0.01, P < 0.05). The pregnancy rate of patients' spouse in the combined treated group was higher than that in the other two groups (P < 0.01, P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONSZC combined with Western medical therapy could effectively improve the quality of semen in males with infertility and enhance the pregnancy rate in their spouse.

Combined Modality Therapy ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; therapeutic use ; Female ; Humans ; Infertility, Male ; drug therapy ; Male ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy Rate ; Semen Analysis

Adult ; Drug Therapy ; methods ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; therapeutic use ; Humans ; Infertility, Male ; drug therapy ; etiology ; Male ; Phytotherapy ; methods ; Varicocele ; complications ; drug therapy ; surgery

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the clinical effect of the Chinese medicine Yangjing Decoction on idiopathic asthenospermia.

METHODSThis study included 62 patients with idiopathic asthenospermia diagnosed with the computer-assisted semen analysis system and other methods based on the WHO guidelines. The patients were equally randomized to a trial and a control group, the former treated with Yangjing Decoction at the dose of 400 ml bid, and the latter with Yougui Capsules tid, both for a course of 6 months. Then we analyzed the changes in sperm concentration and percentage of grade a + b sperm in the patients, as well as the pregnancy in their wives.

RESULTSCompared with the controls, the patients of the trial group showed a significantly elevated percentage of grade a + b sperm after 6 months medication (P < 0.01), though no statistically significant differences were observed in sperm concentration (P > 0.05). The total rate of effectiveness was 87.09% and 7 pregnancies were achieved in the trial group, as compared with 66.74% and 3 pregnancies in the controls (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONYangjing Decoction can significantly improve sperm vitality, and has a desirable effect on idiopathic asthenospermia.

Adult ; Asthenozoospermia ; drug therapy ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; therapeutic use ; Female ; Humans ; Infertility, Male ; drug therapy ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Oligospermia ; drug therapy ; Phytotherapy ; Pregnancy ; Treatment Outcome ; Young Adult