[Efficacy of Jujing Decoction combined with lipoic acid in the treatment of asthenospermia and teratospermia].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the clinical efficacy of Jujing Decoction combined with lipoic acid in the treatment of asthenospermia and teratospermia. METHODS: Fifty patients with asthenospermia and teratospermia meeting the inclusion criteria were randomly divided into a blank control (n = 10) and a medication group (n = 40), the former provided with fertility guidance and the latter treated with Jujing Decoction combined with lipoic acid. After 12 weeks of treatment, the clinical therapeutic effects were evaluated by comparing the semen volume, sperm concentration, percentages of progressively motile sperm (PMS) and morphologically abnormal sperm (MAS), rate of acrosome integrity, sperm DNA fragment index (DFI) and pregnancy rate between the two groups. RESULTS: Compared with the control group, the medication group achieved a significantly higher overall effectiveness rate (10% ï¼»1/10ï¼½ vs 88.89% ï¼»32/36ï¼½, P < 0.05) and pregnancy rate (0% ï¼»0/10ï¼½ vs 8.33% ï¼»3/36ï¼½, P < 0.05) after treatment. The medication group also showed remarkably increased PMS from (21.04 ± 6.49)% to (32.66 ± 7.05)%, decreased MAS from (98.31 ± 1.28)% to (96.52 ± 1.11)%, elevated acrosome integrity from (42.18 ± 16.67)% to (60.42 ± 11.61)%, and reduced sperm DFI from (21.92 ± 6.96)% to (12.37 ± 3.79)%, all with statistically significant differences compared with the blank control group. CONCLUSION: Jujing Decoction combined with lipoic acid can significantly improve sperm motility, reduce MAS and DFI and increase the pregnancy rate through antioxidant stress, and has a high clinical safety.

[Cordyceps sinensis combined with Jujing Pills for male infertility].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the clinical effect and safety of Cordyceps sinensis (CS) combined with Jujing Pills (JJP) in the treatment of male infertility. METHODS: We randomly divided 90 male infertility patients into three groups of an equal number and treated them with JJP tid 5g once, CS bid 1g once and CS+JJP, respectively, all for 12 weeks. Before and after 4, 8 and 12 weeks of medication, we obtained the semen volume, sperm concentration, percentages of progressively motile sperm (PMS) and morphologically normal sperm (MNS) and sperm DNA fragmentation index (DFI), and compared them between the two groups of patients. RESULTS: The total therapeutic effectiveness rate was significantly higher in the CS+JJP than in the CS and JJP groups (96.42% vs 78.57% and 63.33%, P < 0.05), and so was PMS (ï¼»30.05 ± 10.24ï¼½% vs ï¼»24.74 ± 11.24ï¼½% and ï¼»22.71 ± 13.60ï¼½%, P < 0.01). The CS+JJP group also showed a higher percentage of MNS than the JJP group (ï¼»4.16 ± 2.86ï¼½% vs ï¼»2.73 ± 1.86ï¼½%, P < 0.01) but lower than the CS group (ï¼»5.03 ± 2.99ï¼½%) (P < 0.05). The sperm DFI was markedly lower in the CS+JJP than in the CS and JJP groups (ï¼»15.26 ± 6.93ï¼½% vs ï¼»15.90 ± 7.39ï¼½% and ï¼»16.85 ± 8.52ï¼½%, P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Cordyceps sinensis combined with Jujing Pills can effectively improve sperm quality and reduce sperm DFI. Based on the TCM theory of "mutual generation between metal and water", Cordyceps sinensis can significantly enhance the effectiveness of the kidney-tonifying therapy.