Maca medium and density gradient technique improve sperm characteristics in asthenozoospermic men

Background One of male factor related to infertility is asthenozoospermia which is a condition associated with low sperm motility in fresh ejaculate. Objective The present study was designed to assess the efficacy of a Maca culture medium to improving certain sperm function parameters in vitro using discontinuous density gradient technique (DGT) for men with asthenozoospermia. Methods Fifty semen samples of infertile men were involved in this study. The volume of each semen sample was not less than 2 mL. Seminal fluid analysis was done after 2–7 days of abstinence as a control group before activation. Each asthenozoospermic semen sample was divided equally into two portions, subjected to DGT with and without Maca medium (1 mg maca /10 mL phosphate buffer solution) as treated groups after activation. Certain sperm function parameters were measured guidelines pre- and post-activation. Results Sperm concentration revealed highly significant ( p < 0.001) differences between post-activation DGT with and without Maca medium. Significant ( p < 0.001) improvement in progressive sperm motility, total sperm motility, and morphologically normal sperm (MNS) percentage were observed post-activation by using DGT and Maca medium compared to medium without Maca and pre-activation. Conclusions The present study concluded that combining of DGT with Maca medium may reveal a novel method to improve certain sperm function parameters in men dealing with asthenozoospermia.