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SYSTEMATIC REVIEW article

Front. Pharmacol.
Sec. Obstetric and Pediatric Pharmacology
Volume 15 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fphar.2024.1497930

Does Coenzyme Q10 improve semen quality and circulating testosterone level? A systematic review and meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

Provisionally accepted
Tunmise Maryanne Akhigbe Tunmise Maryanne Akhigbe 1Fabrael B Fidelis Fabrael B Fidelis 2Adebayo O Adekunle Adebayo O Adekunle 3Victory J Ashonibare Victory J Ashonibare 4Bolaji A Akorede Bolaji A Akorede 5Mansur S Shuaibu Mansur S Shuaibu 6Suliat A Hassan Suliat A Hassan 7Cecilia A Adegbola Cecilia A Adegbola 7Precious J Ashonibare Precious J Ashonibare 7Opeyemi M Oladapo Opeyemi M Oladapo 7Adetomiwa E Adeogun Adetomiwa E Adeogun 7Seun G Bamidele Seun G Bamidele 8Precious A Oyedokun Precious A Oyedokun 7Mungala Mukolokota Mungala Mukolokota 9Omotolani S Kukoyi Omotolani S Kukoyi 7Ayoola A Oladipo Ayoola A Oladipo 7Olayinka E Adelowo Olayinka E Adelowo 10Marvelous D Akangbe Marvelous D Akangbe 10Jennifer R Hughes Jennifer R Hughes 11Albert M Ricken Albert M Ricken 12Martine Culty Martine Culty 13Maria Christina W. Avellar Maria Christina W. Avellar 7Roland Eghoghosoa Akhigbe Roland Eghoghosoa Akhigbe 10*
  • 1 Osun State University, Oshogbo, Osun, Nigeria
  • 2 Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Kaduna, Nigeria
  • 3 Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, Arizona, United States
  • 4 Heinrich Heine University of Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany
  • 5 University of Wyoming, Laramie, Wyoming, United States
  • 6 Dokuz Eylül University, Alsancak, İzmir, Türkiye
  • 7 Reproductive Biology and Toxicology Research Laboratory (ReBTReL), Osogbo, Nigeria
  • 8 Obafemi Awolowo University, Ife, Osun, Nigeria
  • 9 The Affiliated Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, Jiangsu Province, China
  • 10 Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomosho, Oyo, Nigeria
  • 11 Acrolytics LLC, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA, Colorado, United States
  • 12 Leipzig University, Leipzig, Lower Saxony, Germany
  • 13 University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, United States

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Background: Seminal oxidative stress has been shown to be a key factor in the development of male infertility. However, the benefits of infertility treatments with antioxidants such as coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) remains controversial.The aim of the present study was to assess the effects of CoQ10 supplementation on semen quality, i.e. semen volume, total sperm number, sperm concentration, total sperm motility, percentage of progressive sperm motility and sperm morphology. In addition, the effects of CoQ10 supplementation on circulating testosterone, luteinizing hormone (LH), follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), and inhibin B levels were evaluated.Design: A systematic review and a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were performed to assess the effects of CoQ10 supplementation on semen quality and serum levels of male reproductive hormones.We conducted a strategic literature search in the Cochrane, EMBASE, PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus, and Web of Science databases and collected only RCTs. The data in the collected RCTs were then meta-analyzed according to PRISMA guidelines.Results: Out of 2144 collected studies, only eight were classified eligible. The studies included a total of 877 male subjects; 462 CoQ10-treated and 415 untreated/placebo-treated. We found significantly higher total sperm counts (SMD -13.38 [95%

    Keywords: Antioxidants, coenzyme Q10, male infertility, Spermatozoa, Testosterone

    Received: 18 Sep 2024; Accepted: 04 Dec 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Akhigbe, Fidelis, Adekunle, Ashonibare, Akorede, Shuaibu, Hassan, Adegbola, Ashonibare, Oladapo, Adeogun, Bamidele, Oyedokun, Mukolokota, Kukoyi, Oladipo, Adelowo, Akangbe, Hughes, Ricken, Culty, Avellar and Akhigbe. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Roland Eghoghosoa Akhigbe, Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomosho, Oyo, Nigeria

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.