Vitamin c and ubiquinone able to maintain sperm telomers length on infertile’s men: A clinical trial at doctor soetomo regional general hospital, surabaya, indonesia

Abstract

Background: Infertility is one of the clinical problems that affect medical and psychological conditions. An estimated 15% of couples in the world experience infertility and almost half occur on men. Excessive stress oxidation has been known responsible to the DNA damage and induces shortening of sperm telomere length. This study aims to determine the role of vitamin C and ubiquinone as antioxidants to maintain sperm telomers length among infertile men. Methods: An experimental clinical trial with a pre and post-test control group design has been conducted among 30 infertile men respondents at Doctor Soetomo Regional General Hospital, Surabaya. The respondents were divided into three groups: the combination of Vitamin C and Ubiquinone (P1), Vitamin C and Placebo (P2), and Ubiquinone and Placebo (P3) administration. All three groups were examined for pre-and post-test of sperm telomere length. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 21 for Windows. Results: Most of the respondents were origin from Surabaya (66.7%), never been treated (66.7%), normal BMI (46.7%), non-smoking history (66.7%), non-alcohol consumption (90.0%), having 22-25 of IIEF-5 Score (60.0%), no heat exposure (90.0%), no chemical exposure (73.3%), and diagnosis with primary male infertility (90.0%). No significant difference of sperm telomere length was found among three treatment groups (p>0.05) using Post-Hoc Test. Conclusion: There was no significant difference in sperm telomere length of infertile men among groups. All antioxidants used in this study have a similar ability to maintain or influence sperm telomere length in infertile men.