Evaluation of Spermogram and Gene Expression Changes in Infertile Men after Theophylline and Zinc Sulfate Co-Administration

چکیده مقاله

Background: Theophylline elevates cAMP dependent reactions such as sperm motility,however it can also damage sperm DNA integrity. Moreover, zinc sulfate can prevent sperm DNA damages. We investigated the co-administration of theophylline and zinc sulfate on the Bcl-2, Bax and Caspase-3 genes expression in infertile men with asthenoteratozoospermia. Materials and Methods: 120 asthenoteratozoospermic patients were randomly divided to 4 groups: Placebo, theophylline, theophylline + zinc sulfate and zinc sulfate. After 90 days of oral treatment, the sperm parameters were analyzed using the CASA system and the expression of genes was also analyzed using Real-Time PCR at the beginning and the end of trial. Data was analyzed statistically using the Repeated measurements ANOVA and the means were considered significantly different at P<0.05.

 

Results: Sperm motility, count and morphology increased significantly in all three groups compared to the placebo group but this increase was significantly higher in the theophylline + zinc sulfate group than the theophylline and zinc sulfate groups. The expression of Bcl-2 gene increased significantly in the zinc sulfate group, while it showed a significant reduction in the theophylline group compared to the placebo. The expression of Bax and Caspase-3 genes increased significantly in the theophylline group, while it showed a significant reduction in the zinc sulfate group compared to the placebo. There was no significant difference in the expression levels of Bcl-2, Bax and Caspase-3 genes in the theophylline + zinc sulfate group compared to the placebo.

 

Conclusion: The theophylline and zinc sulfate co-administration could improve the sperm parameters and protect the sperm DNA from the undesirable effects of theophylline