Table 1.
Individual or combination antioxidant treatments with beneficial or no significant effects on semen quality.
| Antioxidant Regime | Study Population | Sperm Parameters | Study |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zinc sulphate (220 mg) for 4 months | oligospermic males (n = 14) | 21.4% (3/14) of patients achieved pregnancy | [62] |
| 600 mg of vitamin E daily for 3 months | Infertility with high ROS | No change in SC, Smot and Smorph | [63] |
| Zinc sulphate (500 mg) for 3 months | Asthenozoospermia (n = 100) | Improved pregnancy (22.5%) vs. placebo (4.3%) | [64] |
| 1 g vitamin C and 800 mg vitamin E daily for 56 days | Asthenozoospermia | No change in SC, Smot and Smorph | [65] |
| 1 g of vitamins C and E daily for 2 months | Idiopathic infertility (38 infertile men with previous IVF/ICSI) | No change in SC, Smot and Smorph | [66] |
| L-carnitine 3 g daily; L-acetyl carnitine 3 g daily; L-carnitine (2 g daily) and L-acetyl carnitine combination (1 g daily) | Idiopathic asthenozoospermia (Placebo group = 15, L-carnitine group = 15; L-acetylcarnitine group = 15; L-carnitine and L-acetylcarnitine combined group = 15) | Increase in sperm motility and normal sperm morphology | [67] |
| 1 g Carnitine and 500 mg L-acetyl carnitine daily for 24 weeks | Asthenozoospermia | No improvement in Smot | [68] |
| 400 mg each vitamins C and E, 18 mg β-carotene, 500 μmol zinc, 1 μmol selenium daily for 90 days | 38 infertile men with At least two failed IVF or ICSI | Increased chromatin decondensation | [69] |
| Menevit (lycopene, vitamins E, C, zinc, selenium, folate, garlic oil) daily for three months | 60 infertile men | No significant difference in DFI | [70] |
| 300 mg selenium daily for 48 weeks | Normozoospermia | No improvement in Smot and Smorph | [71] |
| Menevit (lycopene, vitamins E, C, zinc, selenium, folate, garlic oil) daily for three months | 50 infertile men with elevated OS | No change in SC, Smot and Smorph | [72] |
| 500 mg L-carnitine, 60 mg vitamin C, 20 mg coenzyme Q10, 10 mg vitamin E, 200 µg vitamin B, 91 µg vitamin B12, 10 mg zinc, 50 µg selenium once daily for 3 months | Prospective observational study with 20 men with grade 1 varicocele and primary or secondary infertility | No change in SC, Smot and Smorph | [73] |
| 30 mg vitamin C, 5 mg vitamin E, 0.5 µg vitamin B12, 750 mg L-carnitine, 10 mg coenzyme Q10, 100 µg folic acid, 5 mg zinc, 25 µg selenium twice daily for 6 months | 7 infertile men with sperm DFI >25%Treatment group (37 patients) Placebo group (40 patients) | No change in SC, DFI | [74] |
| Coenzyme Q10 = 200 mg daily | Idiopathic infertility (Placebo group = 114, Treatment group = 114) | Increase in sperm concentration, motility, and normal sperm morphology | [75] |
| L-carnitine = 1 g, L-acetylcarnitine = 0.5 g, fumarate = 0.725 g, fructose = 1 g, citric acid = 50 mg, zinc = 10 mg, coenzyme Q10 = 20 mg, selenium = 50 µg, Vit C = 90 mg, folic acid = 200 µg, Vit B12 = 1.5 µg daily for 3 months | Idiopathic oligoasthenozoospermia (Placebo group = 50, Treatment group = 50) | Increase in semen volume, progressive motility, and vitality in placebo group. Decrease in sperm DNA fragmentation index in treatment group. | [76] |
| 5 mg folic acid, 30 mg zinc once daily for 6 months | 1773 men planning to undergo infertility treatment with spouse | No improvement in Smot and Smorph | [77] |
SC = sperm concentration, Smot = sperm motility, and Smorph = sperm morphology, DFI = DNA fragmentation index.