Evidence map›Paper›PMID 30873633›Full record

Trial reportAndrologia2019

Double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled trial on the effect of L-carnitine and L-acetylcarnitine on sperm parameters in men with idiopathic oligoasthenozoospermia.

Sava Micic, Natasa Lalic, Dejan Djordjevic, Nebojsa Bojanic, Natasa Bogavac-Stanojevic, Gian Maria Busetto, Ashraf Virmani, Ashok Agarwal

Open access · hybridAbstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Trial report in Andrologia, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 55 papers, 5 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
55citing papers in PubMed, 5 pooled it
11.8field-weighted citation impact, top 1% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

55 citing papers in PubMed, 5 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 95 citations in OpenAlex.

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  3. Antioxidants for male subfertility.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2022
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors at 6 institutions in 5 countries.

Sava MicicAndrology Department, Uromedica Polyclinic, Belgrade, Serbia.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9037-3318
Natasa LalicAndrology Department, Uromedica Polyclinic, Belgrade, Serbia.
Dejan DjordjevicUrologic Clinic, Clinical Center of Serbia, Belgrade, Serbia.
Nebojsa BojanicUrologic Clinic, Clinical Center of Serbia, Belgrade, Serbia.
Natasa Bogavac-StanojevicDepartment of Medical Biochemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Belgrade.
Gian Maria BusettoGynecology and Urology, La Sapienza University, Rome, Italy.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7291-0316
Ashraf VirmaniInnovation-Research and Development, Sigma tau Health Science, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
Ashok AgarwalAmerican Center for Reproductive Medicine, Andrology Center, Cleveland, Ohio.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0585-1026
Centar za Promociju Nauke · RSPolyclinic General Hospital · GRAmerican Society for Reproductive Medicine · USSapienza University of Rome · ITSigma-Tau (Switzerland) · CHUniversity of Belgrade · RS

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Carnitine is essential for energy metabolism and spermatozoa maturation. Combining L-carnitine and L-acetylcarnitine with micronutrients has been investigated as a treatment for infertility in men. We evaluated the effects of a therapeutic formulation, Proxeed Plus, on sperm parameters in oligoasthenozoospermic men. This prospective, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial involved 175 males (19-44 years) with idiopathic oligoasthenozoospermia who failed to impregnate their partners (12 months). Males received Proxeed Plus or placebo for 3 and 6 months. Sperm volume, progressive motility and vitality significantly (p < 0.001) improved after 6 months compared to baseline. Sperm DNA fragmentation index significantly decreased compared to baseline (p < 0.001) and the 3-month therapy (p = 0.014) in treated men. Increased seminal carnitine and α-glucosidase concentration also positively correlated with improved progressive motility. Decreased DNA fragmentation index was the good predictor of progressive sperm motility >10%, and simultaneous measurement of changes in sperm vitality and DNA fragmentation index gave the highest probability of sperm motility 10% (AUC = 0.924; 95% CI = 0.852-0.996; p < 0.001). Logistic regression analyses revealed DNA fragmentation index decrease as the only independent predictor of sperm motility 10% (OR = 1.106; p = 0.034). We have demonstrated the beneficial effects of carnitine derivatives on progressive motility, vitality and sperm DNA fragmentation. Combining metabolic and micronutritive factors is beneficial for male infertility.

Indexed as

AcetylcarnitineAdultCarnitineDNA FragmentationDouble-Blind MethodDrug CombinationsHumansMaleMicronutrientsOligospermiaPlacebosProspective StudiesSpermatozoaSperm CountSperm MaturationSperm MotilityAcetylcarnitineCarnitineDrug CombinationsMicronutrientsPlacebosL-acetylcarnitineL-carnitinemale infertilityoligoasthenozoospermiasperm parameters

Identifiers

PMID30873633
PMCPMC6850469
OpenAlexW2922028389

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.