L-CARNITINE IN IDIOPATHIC ASTHENOZOOSPERMIA - A MULTICENTER STUDY

The aim of the study described here was to evaluate any possible effec t of L-carnitine on spermatozoal motility in a group of patients with unexplained asthenozoospermia in four different infertility centres. O ne hundred patients received 3 g d-1 of oral L-carnitine for 4 months. Sperm parameters were studied before, during and after this treatment . Motility was also studied by means of a computer-assisted sperm anal ysis. The results of the study indicate that L-carnitine is able to in crease spermatozoal motility, both in a quantitative and in a qualitat ive manner (per cent motile spermatozoa increased from 26.9 +/- 1.1% t o 37.7 +/- 1.1% [P < 0.001]; per cent spermatozoa with rapid linear pr ogression increased from 10.8 +/- 0.6% to 18.0 +/- 0.9 % [P < 0.001]; mean velocity increased from 28.4 +/- 0.6 mum s-1 to 32.5 +/- 0.8 mum s-1 [P < 0.001]; linearity index increased from 3.7 +/- 0.1 to 4.1 +/- 0.1 [P < 0.001], especially in the subgroup of patients with poor rap id linear progression of spermatozoa (per cent of motile spermatozoa i ncreased from 19.3 +/- 1.9% to 40.9 +/- 1.4% [P < 0.001], and per cent of spermatozoa with rapid linear progression increased from 3.1 +/- 0 .4% to 20.3 +/- 1.6% [P < 0.001]) An increase in spermatozoal output w as also observed (total number of ejaculated spermatozoa increased fro m 142.4 +/- 10.3 10(6) to 163.3 +/- 11.0 x 10(6) [P < 0.001]). The aut hors conclude that oral administration of L-carnitine may improve sper m quality at least in patients with idiopathic asthenozoospermia.