Cysteamine Mitigates the Deleterious Impact of Cryopreservation on Sperm Parameters

Background: Sperm cryopreservation can reduce the quality of sperm. Antioxidants can improve sperm parameters by decreasing oxidative stress. Objectives: This study was performed to determine the effect of supplementing sperm freezing media with cysteamine on the quality of sperm after freezing. Methods: This descriptive-analytical research was conducted at Omolbanin Center for Infertility Treatment in Dezful, Iran, in 2022. The samples included 60 men with normosperm based on the World Health Organization standards. Each sample was divided into three parts: 1. fresh semen group, 2. semen frozen with 10 mmol cysteamine supplementation, and 3. semen frozen without cysteamine supplementation. Viability, motility, morphology, total antioxidant capacity (TAC), and malondialdehyde (MDA) levels were evaluated. The results were described using SPSS version 22, and the significance level was considered P ≤ 0.05. Results: The mean of progressive motility was significantly higher in the fresh semen group (48.3 ± 4.74) compared to the two other groups. The mean progressive motility was significantly lower in the group without cysteamine supplementation (24.4 ± 3.38) than in the group with cysteamine supplementation (35.3 ± 4.9). Moreover, TAC was significantly higher in the group with cysteamine supplementation (816.6 ± 4.36) than in the other groups. We found that the MDA level was significantly higher in the group without cysteamine supplementation than in the other groups (36.5 ± 2.51). Conclusions: According to the results of the present study, appropriate conditions for preserving the sperm parameters after cryopreservation could be created by adding cysteamine to the sperm cryopreservation media as an antioxidant effective on sperm parameters.