Clinical trial NCT03167008: Vitamin D Level vs Semen Parameters
Official title: Correlation Between the Level of Vitamin D and Semen Parameters
Study type: OBSERVATIONAL
Overall status: UNKNOWN
Conditions: Male Infertility
Lead sponsor: Assiut University
Sponsor class: OTHER
First posted: 2017-05-25
Enrollment: 60
Sex: MALE
Standard ages: CHILD
ADULT
OLDER_ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: no
Observational model: CASE_CONTROL
Time perspective: CROSS_SECTIONAL
Sampling method: PROBABILITY_SAMPLE
Study population: total of 30 male patients with idiopathic male infertility and other 30 fertile male (as control) will be randomly recruited from the outpatient andrology clinic of the department at Assiut university hospital.

Brief summary: * Infertility is defined as the inability of a sexually active couple to conceive after 1 year of regular intercourse without contraception, affects approximately 15% of couples, and male factors are the cause in 20% -50% of cases.
* Infertility of unknown origin is classified into idiopathic male infertility and unexplained male infertility according to semen quality.

Detailed description: -Idiopathic male infertility is known as idiopathic oligoasthenoteratozoospermia, which indicates that the men have an unexplained reduction of semen quality.

In contrast, unexplained male infertility is defined as infertility of unknown origin with normal sperm parameters.

Furthermore, optimal strategies for treating idiopathic male infertility have also remained unclear.

* Data from studies in humans suggest that vitamin D receptors are present in testis, epididymis, prostate and seminal vesicles. The level of expression varies, being higher in epididymis and seminal vesicles.
* Vitamin D receptors expression was also evident in Leydig cells, as well as in normal and abnormal sperm, with the acrosomal region and the neck being the sites with the most abundant messenger ribonucleic acid expression.
* The 1,25(OH)2 D3 molecule increases intracellular calcium concentrations, sperm motility and acrosin activity, and reduces triglyceride content in sperm, actions that significantly contribute to fertilising capacity within the female reproductive tract.

Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

* infertile male patients without any detectable cause with normal clinical examination and abnormal semen parameters.

Exclusion Criteria:

* Cases with known etiology or apparent physical finding ,leukocytospermia, diminished testicular volume ,varicocele or an abnormal hormonal profile.
* couples with combined male and female factor will be excluded.

Primary outcomes:
measure: correlation between vitamin D level and semen parameters
timeFrame: baseline
Secondary outcomes:
Other outcomes:
Locations:
Study officials:
affiliation: Assiut University
name: MAKhair
role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
References:
citation: Irvine DS. Epidemiology and aetiology of male infertility. Hum Reprod. 1998 Apr;13 Suppl 1:33-44. doi: 10.1093/humrep/13.suppl_1.33.
citation: Gnoth C, Godehardt E, Frank-Herrmann P, Friol K, Tigges J, Freundl G. Definition and prevalence of subfertility and infertility. Hum Reprod. 2005 May;20(5):1144-7. doi: 10.1093/humrep/deh870. Epub 2005 Mar 31.
citation: Ko EY, Siddiqi K, Brannigan RE, Sabanegh ES Jr. Empirical medical therapy for idiopathic male infertility: a survey of the American Urological Association. J Urol. 2012 Mar;187(3):973-8. doi: 10.1016/j.juro.2011.10.137. Epub 2012 Jan 20.
citation: Blomberg Jensen M, Nielsen JE, Jorgensen A, Rajpert-De Meyts E, Kristensen DM, Jorgensen N, Skakkebaek NE, Juul A, Leffers H. Vitamin D receptor and vitamin D metabolizing enzymes are expressed in the human male reproductive tract. Hum Reprod. 2010 May;25(5):1303-11. doi: 10.1093/humrep/deq024. Epub 2010 Feb 18.
citation: Walters MR. 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 receptors in the seminiferous tubules of the rat testis increase at puberty. Endocrinology. 1984 Jun;114(6):2167-74. doi: 10.1210/endo-114-6-2167.