title: Effects of ascorbic acid on sperm motility, viability, acrosome reaction and DNA integrity in teratozoospermic samples.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Oxidative stress in teratozoospermic semen samples caused poor assisted reproductive techniques (ART) outcomes. Among antioxidants, ascorbic acid is a naturally occurring free radical scavenger and as such its presence assists various other mechanisms in decreasing numerous disruptive free radical processes.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The main goal of this study was to evaluate potential protective effects of ascorbic acid supplementation during in vitro culture of teratozoospermic specimens.
  
  
  METHODS
  Teratozoospermic semen samples that collected from 15 volunteers were processed, centrifuged and incubated at 37(o)C until sperm swimmed-up. Supernatant was divided into four groups and incubated at 37(o)C for one hour under different experimental conditions: Control, 10 µm A23187, 600µm ascorbic acid and 10 µm A23187+600 µm ascorbic acid. After incubation sperm motility, viability, acrosome reaction, DNA damage and malondialdehyde levels were evaluated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Our results indicated that after one hour incubation, ascorbic acid significantly reduced malondialdehyde level in ascorbic acid group (1.4±0.11 nmol/ml) compared to control group (1.58±0.13 nmol/ml) (p<0.001). At the end of incubation, progressive motility and viability in ascorbic acid group (64.5±8.8% and 80.3±6.4%, respectively) were significantly (p<0.05 and p<0.001, respectively) higher than the control group (54.5±6.8% and 70.9±7.3%, respectively). A23187 significantly (p<0.0001) increased acrosome reaction in A23187 group (37.3±5.6%) compared to control group (8.5±3.2%) and this effect of A23187 attenuated by ascorbic acid in ascorbic acid+A23187 group (17.2±4.4%). DNA fragmentation in ascorbic acid group (20±4.1%) was significantly (p<0.001) lower than controls (28.9±4.6%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In vitro ascorbic acid supplementation during teratozoospermic semen processing for ART could protect teratozoospermic specimens against oxidative stress, and it could improve ART outcome.
authors.affiliation: Pregnancy Health Research Center, Zahedan University of Medical Sciences, Zahedan, Iran. ; Department of Physiology, School of Medicine , Zahedan University of Medical Sciences, Zahedan, Iran.
authors.forename: Hamed
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Fanaei
authors.affiliation: Pregnancy Health Research Center, Zahedan University of Medical Sciences, Zahedan, Iran. ; Nursing and Midwifery Faculty, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Samira
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Khayat
authors.affiliation: Research and Clinical Center for Infertility, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd, Iran.
authors.forename: Iman
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Halvaei
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmaceutics, Faculty of Pharmacy, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd, Iran.
authors.forename: Vahid
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Ramezani
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, School of Medicine , Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Yaser
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Azizi
authors.affiliation: Non-Communicable Diseases Research Center, Endocrinology and Metabolism Population Sciences Institute, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Amir
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kasaeian
authors.affiliation: Prof. Alborzi Clinical Microbiology Research Center, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran.
authors.forename: Jalal
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Mardaneh
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, School of Medicine , Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Mohammad Reza
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Parvizi
authors.affiliation: Kashan University of Medical Sciences, Kashan, Iran.
authors.forename: Maryam
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Akrami
keywords: Acrosome reaction; Ascorbic acid; DNA fragmentation; Oxidative stress; Teratozoospermic sperm