Efficacy of myo-inositol in the clinical management of patients with asthenozoospermia

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to analyze the effect of myo-inositol in combination with minerals and vitamin on sperm motility in patients affected by asthenozoospermia as index of Bulgarian population.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

One-hundred-nine men aged between 18 and 50 years with reduced sperm motility identified by routine semen analysis were enrolled in this study. After excluding any urological problems, three months of treatment with a supplementation based on myo-inositol and other minerals and vitamins (Andrositol, MLD trading, Bulgaria) was prescribed. The sperm motility was evaluated by statistical analysis.

RESULTS

A significant improvement in sperm motility was reported in 85.32% of the patients. Furthermore, the average motility was improved from 20.31% (SD ± 8.5) to 27.98 (SD ± 9.69) after the treatment. In particular, 38 of these patients restored a normal sperm motility (34.86% of the patients) while 14 patients (12.84%) didn't show any beneficial effect and, even if any side effects were reported, 2 patients (1.84%) showed a worsened the motility.

CONCLUSIONS

A treatment with Andrositol significantly improved sperm motility, increasing the likelihood of achieving a spontaneous pregnancy.

Stereospecificity of (+)-pinoresinol and (+)-lariciresinol reductases from Forsythia intermedia

Pinoresinol/lariciresinol reductase catalyzes the first known example of a highly unusual benzylic ether reduction in plants; its mechanism of hydride transfer is described. The enzyme was found in Forsythia intermedia and catalyzes the presumed regulatory branch-points in the pathway leading to benzylaryltetrahydrofuran, dibenzylbutane, dibenzylbutyrolactone, and aryltetrahydronaphthalene lignans. Using [7,7'-2H2]-pinoresinol and [7,7'-2H3]lariciresinol as substrates, the hydride transfers of the highly unusual reductase were demonstrated to be completely stereospecific (> 99%). The incoming hydrides were found to take up the pro-R position at C-7' (and/or C-7) in lariciresinol and secoisolariciresinol, thereby eliminating the possibility of random hydride delivery to a planar quinone methide intermediate. As might be expected, the mode of hydride abstraction from NADPH was also stereospecific: using [4R-3H] and [4S-3H]NADPH, it was found that only the 4 pro-R hydrogen was abstracted for enzymatic hydride transfer.