title: Quantitative evaluation of spermatozoa ultrastructure after acupuncture treatment for idiopathic male infertility.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the ultramorphologic sperm features of idiopathic infertile men after acupuncture therapy.
  
  
  METHODS
  Prospective controlled study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Christian-Lauritzen-Institut, Ulm, IVF center Munich, Germany, and Department of General Biology, University of Siena, Siena, Italy.
  
  
  METHODS
  Forty men with idiopathic oligospermia, asthenospermia, or teratozoospermia.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty eight of the patients received acupuncture twice a week over a period of 5 weeks. The samples from the treatment group were randomized with semen samples from the 12 men in the untreated control group.
  
  
  METHODS
  Quantitative analysis by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) was used to evaluate the samples, using the mathematical formula based on submicroscopic characteristics.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Statistical evaluation of the TEM data showed a statistically significant increase after acupuncture in the percentage and number of sperm without ultrastructural defects in the total ejaculates. A statistically significant improvement was detected in acrosome position and shape, nuclear shape, axonemal pattern and shape, and accessory fibers of sperm organelles. However, specific sperm pathologies in the form of apoptosis, immaturity, and necrosis showed no statistically significant changes between the control and treatment groups before and after treatment.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The treatment of idiopathic male infertility could benefit from employing acupuncture. A general improvement of sperm quality, specifically in the ultrastructural integrity of spermatozoa, was seen after acupuncture, although we did not identify specific sperm pathologies that could be particularly sensitive to this therapy.
authors: Longhua Hospital, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, People's Republic of China. jianpei99@yahoo.com
authors: Jian
authors: J
authors: Pei
authors: Erwin
authors: E
authors: Strehler
authors: Ulrich
authors: U
authors: Noss
authors: Markus
authors: M
authors: Abt
authors: Paola
authors: P
authors: Piomboni
authors: Baccio
authors: B
authors: Baccetti
authors: Karl
authors: K
authors: Sterzik
mesh_terms: D015670:Acupuncture Therapy / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D000328:Adult; D006801:Humans; D007248:Infertility, Male / Q000473:pathology* / Q000628:therapy*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D013094:Spermatozoa / Q000473:pathology* / Q000648:ultrastructure*