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Background: Diabetes mellitus characterized by hyperglycaemia could affect sperm quality as a result of increased oxidative stress. This study was performed to investigate the effects of red palm oil (RPO), aqueous rooibos tea extracts (RTE) as well as their combination (RPO + RTE) on sperm motility parameters in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats., Materials and Methods: Diabetes was induced by a single administration of streptozotocin (50 mg/kg) and the rats were treated with red palm oil (2 ml/day) and / or aqueous rooibos tea extract (2%) for 7 weeks. Sperm motility parameters were measured using Computer Assisted Sperm Analyzer (CASA)., Results: Hyperglycaemia negatively affected the sperm progressive motility significantly at p<0.05. There was a significant decrease (p<0.05) in sperm linearity (LIN) in the diabetic group when compared with the normal control group. RPO supplemented diabetic rats exhibited increased progressive sperm motility, sperm linearity (LIN) and wobble (WOB). Significant decreases (p<0.05) in straight line velocity (VSL) and average path velocity (VAP) of the sperms were observed in all the diabetic groups when compared to the control group. Significant (p<0.05) elevated levels of WOB and LIN were observed following RTE treatment and co-administration with RPO respectively., Conclusion: The present study suggests that red palm oil and / or rooibos administration exhibited no adverse effects on sperm motility parameters but rather showed some beneficial effects.

Male Wistar rats (n = 54) received daily supplementation of red palm oil (RPO: 0, 2, 4 ml). Subgroups were subsequently injected with saline, cumene hydroperoxide (cHP, 10 μm) or t-butyl hydroperoxide (tbHP, 20 μm) over a 60-day period after which animals were sacrificed. Epididymal sperm motility, concentration, reactive oxygen species (ROS), lipid peroxidation and enzymes were measured. Sperm concentration, motility, superoxide dismutase (SOD) concentration, glutathione (GSH) and catalase (CAT) activities were significantly lower, while dichlorofluorescein (DCF) and malondialdehyde (MDA) were higher in sperm of hydroperoxide-treated animals compared to controls (P < 0.05). DCF and MDA levels were significantly lower, while SOD, CAT and GSH were significantly higher in the sperm of rats supplemented with RPO in combination with hydroperoxide treatment when compared to those receiving hydroperoxide and no RPO supplementation (P < 0.05). Moreover, the DCF, SOD, CAT and GSH levels in the RPO hydroperoxide groups did not differ from control values (P > 0.05). RPO supplementation can successfully attenuate the oxidative stress-induced sperm damage due to organic hydroperoxide exposure. We therefore propose that a daily intake of RPO supplement to the diet might be helpful in protecting males against the adverse effects of high ROS in sperm function and help preserve fertility., (© 2011 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.)

In this study, two commercially available superoxide scavengers, tetrakis (1-methyl-4-pyridyl) porphyrin (Mn[III]TMPyP) and superoxide dismutase (SOD), as well as red palm oil (RPO), a natural vegetable oil, had been used to investigate their possible in vitro effects against the toxic effects of superoxide (O(2).) on human sperm motility. Semen samples were obtained from 12 normozoospermic healthy volunteer donors aged between 19 and 23 years. The O(2). donor 2,3-dimetoxyl-1,4-naphthoquinone (DMNQ) (2.5 micromol L(-1)-100 micromol L(-1)) was added to normozoospermic post-swim-up sperm in the presence or absence of Mn(III)TMPyP (50 micromol L(-1)), SOD (50 IU) or RPO (0.1% or 0.5%). Computer-assisted semen analysis was used to analyze various motility parameters. The parameters of interest were percentage of motile cells, progressive motility, rapid cells and static cells. Concentrations of higher than 25 micromol L(-1) DMNQ were detrimental to sperm motility. Mn(III)TMPyP was able to attenuate the effect of O(2). on the motility parameters. In vitro addition of SOD and RPO showed harmful effects on sperm motility.