title: Recent progress in pharmacological therapy of male subfertility--a review.
abstract: A review of pharmacological therapy in male infertility shows that apart from specific therapy with gonadotropins in hypogonadotropic hypogonadism, treatment in normogonadotropic idiopathic oligozoospermia and asthenozoospermia is still empirical and often unsuccessful. Modern therapy is based on three pharmacological groups of compounds: gonadotropins, androgens and kininogenases, the latter releasing pharmacologic active kinin peptides from kininogen. In addition, antiestrogens and gonadotropin-releasing hormones seem to be promising agents for the near future. The use of antibiotics is of great importance in the therapy of male genital tract infections which often to a reduced fertility. Several other drugs (amino acids, psychopharmaceuticals, spasmolytic agents, trijodothyronine, glucocorticoids, vitamins) seem to be suitable in individuals cases, but in greater group of patients these agents do not improve fertility. Using the mentioned hormonal and nonhormonal pharmacological agents considerable progress can be demonstrated in the therapy of male infertility. However, before initiating any therapy it is important to exclude patients whose cause of infertility is untreatable or those who require surgery. Finally, it is hoped that additional progress in treatment of male infertility will soon be made possible by further improvement of fundamental research in andrology. Especially important is the development of better criteria for selection of patients for any form of therapy in order to make more specific and less empirical approaches for treatment of male infertility available.
mesh_terms: D000890:Anti-Infective Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001120:Arginine / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006063:Chorionic Gonadotropin / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002996:Clomiphene / Q000627:therapeutic use; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D004965:Estrogen Antagonists / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005303:Fertility Agents, Male / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005938:Glucocorticoids / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006062:Gonadotropins / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D007248:Infertility, Male / Q000188:drug therapy*; D007610:Kallikreins / Q000627:therapeutic use; D008297:Male; D008596:Menotropins / Q000627:therapeutic use; D010276:Parasympatholytics / Q000627:therapeutic use; D010906:Pituitary Hormone-Releasing Hormones / Q000627:therapeutic use; D011619:Psychotropic Drugs / Q000627:therapeutic use; D013629:Tamoxifen / Q000627:therapeutic use; D013739:Testosterone / Q000627:therapeutic use; D045165:Testosterone Congeners / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D014284:Triiodothyronine / Q000627:therapeutic use; D014815:Vitamins / Q000627:therapeutic use
chemical_list: D000890:Anti-Infective Agents; D006063:Chorionic Gonadotropin; D004965:Estrogen Antagonists; D005303:Fertility Agents, Male; D005938:Glucocorticoids; D006062:Gonadotropins; D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents; D010276:Parasympatholytics; D010906:Pituitary Hormone-Releasing Hormones; D011619:Psychotropic Drugs; D045165:Testosterone Congeners; D014815:Vitamins; D014284:Triiodothyronine; D013629:Tamoxifen; D002996:Clomiphene; D013739:Testosterone; D008596:Menotropins; D001120:Arginine; D007610:Kallikreins