Effects of Carnitine and Coenzyme Q10 on Sperm Quality and Pregnancy Rates in Men with Unexplained Infertility: A Systematic Review and Network Meta-Analysis.

IF 2.5 3区医学 Q2 OBSTETRICS & GYNECOLOGY

Reproductive Sciences Pub Date : 2025-09-01 Epub Date: 2025-08-14 DOI:10.1007/s43032-025-01958-9

Changmin Niu, Xueyu Lu, Yue Xie, Yawen Yu, Yuxin Gao, Nuo Shen, Ying Zheng

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Aims: To study and explore the effects of oral Carnitine and Coenzyme Q10 on the quality of sperm and the rate of pregnancy in males with unexplained infertility.

Background: Preventing and reducing oxidative stress is essential for male infertility treatment. Antioxidants can effectively improve sperm quality and maintain sperm motility, thereby improving male fertility. At present, the most commonly used antioxidants in the clinic are carnitine and coenzyme Q10.

Design: A systematic review and network meta-analysis.

Methods: In this study, the effects of carnitine and coenzyme Q10 antioxidants on sperm quality and the rate of pregnancy in men with unexplained infertility were explored using a network meta-analysis method. The Cochrane Library, EMBASE, Web of Science and PubMed databases were searched for relevant studies. The observed indicators included semen concentration, progressive sperm motility, the rate of morphologically normal sperm and pregnancy rate.

Results: 16 pieces of literature were included after rigorous screening. L-carnitine, coenzyme Q10 and L-carnitine + acetyl-L-carnitine significantly improved sperm quality parameters compared with placebo. CoQ10 induced the highest increase in sperm concentration (SMD 2.98 [95% CI: 1.13 to 7.87]). Furthermore, L-Carnitine has the greatest improvement effect on progressive sperm motility (SMD 4.19 [95% CI: 1.60 to 10.95]).

Conclusions: CoQ10 was the most effective intervention measure for improving sperm concentration, and L-carnitine was regarded as the best treatment method for enhancing sperm motility. In the future, we need more high-quality and large-sample studies to verify the effectiveness of antioxidants in the treatment of male infertility.

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肉碱和辅酶Q10对不明原因不孕症男性精子质量和妊娠率的影响：系统综述和网络荟萃分析

目的：研究和探讨口服肉碱和辅酶Q10对不明原因不育男性精子质量和受孕率的影响。背景：预防和减少氧化应激对男性不育症的治疗至关重要。抗氧化剂能有效提高精子质量，保持精子活力，从而提高男性生育能力。目前临床上最常用的抗氧化剂是肉碱和辅酶Q10。设计：系统回顾和网络荟萃分析。方法：本研究采用网络荟萃分析方法，探讨肉碱和辅酶Q10抗氧化剂对不明原因不育男性精子质量和妊娠率的影响。检索Cochrane Library、EMBASE、Web of Science和PubMed数据库查找相关研究。观察指标包括精液浓度、精子进行性活力、精子形态正常率和妊娠率。结果：经过严格筛选，共纳入文献16篇。与安慰剂相比，左旋肉碱、辅酶Q10和左旋肉碱+乙酰左旋肉碱显著改善了精子质量参数。CoQ10诱导的精子浓度增加最高（SMD为2.98 [95% CI: 1.13 ~ 7.87]）。此外，左旋肉碱对进行性精子活力的改善作用最大（SMD为4.19 [95% CI: 1.60 ~ 10.95]）。结论：辅酶q10是提高精子浓度最有效的干预措施，左旋肉碱被认为是提高精子活力的最佳治疗方法。在未来，我们需要更多高质量和大样本的研究来验证抗氧化剂在治疗男性不育症中的有效性。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Reproductive Sciences 医学-妇产科学

CiteScore

5.50

自引率

3.40%

发文量

322

审稿时长

4-8 weeks

期刊介绍： Reproductive Sciences (RS) is a peer-reviewed, monthly journal publishing original research and reviews in obstetrics and gynecology. RS is multi-disciplinary and includes research in basic reproductive biology and medicine, maternal-fetal medicine, obstetrics, gynecology, reproductive endocrinology, urogynecology, fertility/infertility, embryology, gynecologic/reproductive oncology, developmental biology, stem cell research, molecular/cellular biology and other related fields.