The effect of metformin treatment on the serum levels of homocysteine, folic acid, and vitamin B12 in patients with polycystic ovary syndrome

Background and Objective: Hyperhomocysteinemia is a well-known risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Although metformin therapy can increase homocysteine (Hcy) levels, it frequently is used as an oral medicine in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), who might be at risk of catching diabetes mellitus. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of metformin on the levels of serum Hcy, vitamin B12 (vit B12), and folic acid in patients with PCOS. Materials and Methods: An interventional study was designed with 18 patients with PCOS at the Fatemehzahra infertility Hospital in Babol, Iran. Metformin treatment (500 mg twice daily) was initiated in all patients for a period of consecutive 6 months. The levels of serum Hcy, vit B12, and folic acid were measured in the participants before and after metformin treatment. Results: The mean vit B12 level showed a significant decrease in patients after 6 months of metformin treatment (P = 0.002). However, there was no significant difference in serum folic acid levels. The mean Hcy levels increased after treatment, but this difference not was statistically significant. When patients were stratified into four subgroups by their insulin sensitivity and body mass index (BMI), relatively similar results were obtained in the subgroups, except that Hcy levels in the overweight/obesity group (BMI > 25 kg/m2) after treatment showed a significant increase (P = 0.01). Conclusion: These findings indicate that metformin increases the serum Hcy concentration in patients with PCOS especially in the women with BMI > 25 kg/m2. The possible mechanism for this effect would be the obvious reduction in the levels of vit B12

Lipid peroxidation and large-scale deletions of mitochondrial DNA in asthenoteratozoospermic patients

492-499The correlation between malondialdehyde (MDA) an index of lipid peroxidation (LPO) with large-scale deletion mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) was investigated in a case-control study with a total of 50 semen samples from infertile men, including 25 normozoospermic donor as the control group and 25 asthenoteratozoospermic (AT) patients as the case group. Routine semen analysis was performed according to World Health Organization (WHO, 1999) guidelines. MDA levels of the seminal plasma and spermatozoa were measured by TBARS method. A long-range polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method was used for the analysis of multiple large-scale mtDNA deletions based in two areas of mtDNA. The results showed that mean concentration of MDA in seminal plasma (nmol/ml) and spermatozoa (nmol/10 × 106 sperm) of AT men was higher than in normozoospermic patients, but the differences were not statistically significant. The products of PCR analysis showed multiple deletions of ~4.7, 4.8, 7.2, 7.3 and 7.4-kb in mtDNA of the spermatozoa in both AT and control groups. Multiple deletions were also observed in 64% of AT patients and 44% of the control group. Moreover, MDA level of the spermatozoa in deleted mtDNA samples group was significantly higher than in non-deleted mtDNA group (p = 0.01). Our findings indicated a positive correlation between increased MDA levels and large-scale mtDNA deletions in human spermatozoa. It is suggested that LPO or other oxidative stress factors might be causative elements in mtDNA damage, effect on sperm motility and morphology, resulting in decline of fertility in men. </span

Seminal plasma total antioxidant capacity and vitamin- C levels in asthenozoospermia: a case- control study

&quot;n Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE AR-SA MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:Arial; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} Background: Defective sperm function is now recognized as one of the most important causes of male infertility. Seminal plasma possesses a rich source of different enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidants such as vitamin C (ascorbic acid) that protect spermatozoa against oxidative stress as one of the mediators of infertility causing sperm dysfunction and low sperm quality. The aim of this study was investigation of seminal total antioxidant capacity and determination of vitamin C effects on sperm motility. &quot;n&quot;nMethods: We designed a case-control study with a total subject of 62 males. Sperm parameters were analyzed according to World Health Organization guidelines (WHO, 1999). Total antioxidant capacity and vitamin C level of seminal plasma were measured in the 32 normozoospermic as the control group and 32 asthenospermic men as the case group using FRAP (Ferric Reducing of Antioxidants Powers) and RP-HPLC (Reverse Phase High Performance Liquid Chromatography) methods, respectively. &quot;n&quot;nResults: Our results indicated that total antioxidant capacity levels in the seminal plasma of asthenospermic men were significantly lower than healthy men (p=0.002). In addition, we found a positive correlation between reduced total antioxidant capacity levels and low sperm motility. Vitamin C levels of seminal plasma in asthenospermic men were statistically lower than control men (p=0.01).&quot;n&quot;nConclusions: It is suggested that asthenospermia could be related to an antioxidant deficiency or it&apos;s reduction