We evaluated the effectiveness of antioxidant co-supplementation therapy using Larginine and Pycnogenol(®) in Japanese men with oligoasthenozoospermia and mild erectile dysfunction (ED). A total of forty-seven adult males with oligoasthenoteratozoospermia syndrome (OAT) were eligible for enrollment.
The effectiveness of supplementation with a combination of L-arginine 690 mg and French maritime pine bark extract (Pycnogenol(®)) 60mg for OAT and ED was investigated. The sperm concentration was enhanced significantly after treatment 2 and 4 months (11. 79 ± 9. 86 to 21. 22 ± 28. 17 and 20. 15 ± 23. 99 × 106/ml). Significant improvements in the International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF) were observed in the total score of IIEF (57. 69 ± 11. 04 to 59. 43 ± 12. 57) and domain of Orgasmic Function (9. 01 ± 1. 92 to 9. 34 ± 1. 66) after 4 months of treatment. L-arginine acts to increase the production of nitric oxide and Pycnogenol(®) activates the endothelial nitric oxide synthase and it is a potent antioxidant and inhibitor of inducible nitric oxide synthase. This study suggests that the combination of Pycnogenol(®) and L-arginine (Edicare(®)) is helpful for infertile men to ameliorate simultaneously quality of sperms as well as erectile functions.
Archivio italiano di urologia, andrologia : organo ufficiale [di] Società italiana di ecografia urologica e nefrologica / Associazione ricerche in urologia. 2015 Sep 30*** epublish ***
Yoshitomo Kobori, Keisuke Suzuki, Toshiyuki Iwahata, Takeshi Shin, Yuko Sadaoka, Ryo Sato, Kojiro Nishio, Hiroshi Yagi, Gaku Arai, Shigehiro Soh, Hiroshi Okada, Jeffry Michael Strong, Peter Rohdewald
Department of Urology, Dokkyo Medical University Koshigaya Hospital, Saitama.