Introduction: Sperm cryopreservation, a key technique in assisted reproductive technology, often results in significant damage to sperm quality. Adding antioxidants to the cryopreservation medium can help mitigate these adverse effects. Lycopene, a red carotenoid and powerful antioxidant, has many positive effects on sperm parameters. This investigation studied the impact of lycopene supplementation on inflammatory factors and total antioxidant capacity during the cryopreservation of semen samples from asthenozoospermic men.
Methods: Semen samples were collected from 30 asthenozoospermic men. Each sample was then divided into three groups: Control (fresh), Freeze (treated with cryoprotectant alone), and Freeze + Lycopene (treated with cryoprotectant and 5 µmol/L lycopene). The samples in the freezing groups were cryopreserved using a human sperm freezing medium and a rapid freezing method. For each sample, Measurement of total antioxidant capacity (TAC), levels of inflammatory cytokine TNF-α, and anti-inflammatory cytokine interleukin-10 (IL-10) were performed using commercial ELISA kits and according to the manufacturer's kit instructions. Data were statistically analyzed using the Repeated Measures Analysis method.
Results: Total antioxidant capacity and the level of the inflammatory factor IL-10 were significantly reduced in the freeze group compared to the control group, while the level of TNF-α was significantly increased in the freeze group compared to the control group (p < 0.001). However, in the freeze + lycopene group, a significant increase in TAC (p < 0.001) and IL-10 (p ≤ 0.001) levels and a significant decrease in TNF-α (p < 0.001) levels were observed compared to the freeze group.
Conclusion: Based on our results we concluded that lycopene reduces the adverse effects of cryopreservation on total sperm antioxidant capacity and inflammatory factors in asthenozoospermic men.
Keywords: Asthenozoospermia, Cryopreservation, Lycopene inflammatory factors, total antioxidant capacity.