5 research outputs found
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
"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. "n"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. "n"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)."n"nConclusions: It is suggested that asthenospermia could be related to an antioxidant deficiency or it's reduction