Study of the effects of oral zinc supplementation on peroxynitrite levels, arginase activity and NO synthase activity in seminal plasma of Iraqi asthenospermic patients.

Plain-language guide to PMID 24383664 (2014): clinical trial of Vitamin D, K2, Magnesium and Zinc in 60 men.

Key Facts

PMID: 24383664
Journal: Reproductive biology and endocrinology : RB&E
Year: 2014
Study type: Clinical Trial
Authors: Hadwan MH et al. (3 authors)
DOI: 10.1186/1477-7827-12-1
Registered trial: NCT01684059

What This Study Did, in Plain Language

What Was Tested

This clinical trial looks at Vitamin D, K2, Magnesium and Zinc.

Low concentrations of nitric oxide (NO) are necessary for the biology and physiology of spermatozoa, but high levels of NO are toxic and have negative effects on sperm functions.

Although several studies have considered the relationship between infertility and semen NO concentrations, no study on the effects of asthenospermia treatments such as oral zinc supplementation on concentrations of NO, which are important in fertility, has been reported.

Who Took Part

The study group was 60 men.

PubMed tags the participants as men only.

Semen samples were obtained from 60 fertile and 60 asthenozoospermic infertile men of matched age.

Semen samples were obtained (before and after zinc sulfate supplementation).

How the Study Was Run

After liquefaction of the seminal fluid at room temperature, routine semen analyses were performed.

The stable metabolites of NO (nitrite) in seminal plasma were measured by nitrophenol assay.

Arginase activity and NO synthase activity were measured spectrophotometrically.

What Was Measured

Low concentrations of nitric oxide (NO) are necessary for the biology and physiology of spermatozoa, but high levels of NO are toxic and have negative effects on sperm functions.

Topics PubMed links to this paper include Arginase, Asthenozoospermia, Dietary Supplements, Enzyme Activation, Iraq, Nitric Oxide Synthase and Peroxynitrous Acid.

What This Means in Plain Language

This is a clinical trial of Vitamin D, K2, Magnesium and Zinc in 60 men.

Results are reported in around 6 sentences of the abstract; we leave them to the paper itself rather than summarise them.

The publication is from 2014 (Reproductive biology and endocrinology : RB&E), a journal based in England.

More context: the Vitamin D, K2, Magnesium and Zinc compound page, all human trials.

Our Notes on the Compound

Vitamin D, K2, Magnesium and Zinc: Magnesium is described as required for AMPK to function.

Vitamin D, K2, Magnesium and Zinc in the library

Source: PubMed record. This explanation is written by PeptideWhiz from the public record. For research and education only. Not medical advice; no dosing information is given.