Effect of a significant deficiency in some antioxidants on semen parameters in cases of male infertility in Diyala Province, Iraq

 Scientific evidence indicates that oxidative stress (OS) is a major factor in the etiology of male infertility. OS occurs when there is an imbalance between reactive oxygen species (ROS) and protective antioxidants. Current study aimed to evaluate some antioxidants and their effects on semen parameters in infertile Iraqi men.

 In this study, 47 infertile males and 21 healthy people as the control group were enrolled. parameters for seminal fluid were including count, motility and morphology for assessment of semen quality. Glutathione, Vitamin E, Zinc and Selenium were also measured.

 Findings showed that sperm counts, percent of sperm motility and percent of normal morphology were significantly lower in the infertile male group compared to healthy group (p<0.001); whereas, abnormal motility and morphology in infertile male group were considerably higher than healthy group (p<0.001). Moreover, Results showed significant decrease in levels of Glutathione, Vitamin E, Zinc and Selenium in the infertile male group than the healthy group (p<0.001). Additionally, study reported a non-significant correlation between glutathione, vitamin E, zinc and selenium with semen parameters (P>0.05), except zinc level which showed significant correlation with the normal morphology of sperm (P<0.05). The results also showed a significant decrease in Vitamin E, Zinc and selenium levels in abnormal infertile groups compared to healthy group.

 We believe that male infertility may be related with low antioxidant levels. Therefore, future studies should concentrate on enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidants, as well as genetic susceptibility and its effects on sperm quality.