New approaches in education and health sciences management

New approaches in education and health sciences management

Investigating the effect of curcumin on human sperm parameters after freezing and thawing

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
1 Department of Anatomical Sciences & Cognitive Neuroscience, TeMS.C., Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
2 Department of Anatomical Sciences & Cognitive Neuroscience, TeMS.C., Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran; Herbal pharmacology research center, TeMS.C., Islamic Azad University, Tehran Iran
3 Department of Anatomical Sciences & Cognitive Neuroscience, TeMS.C., Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran.
4 Department of Anatomical Sciences & Cognitive Neuroscience, TeMS.C., Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran; Herbal pharmacology research center, TeMS.C., Islamic Azad University, Tehran Iran
Abstract
Background and Aim: In this study, the effect of curcumin, a well-known strong antioxidant, on the parameters of human sperm after freezing and thawing was investigated.
Materials and Methods: In this interventional study, the semen of 10 men referred to Tehran infertility center who had normal sperm parameters according to international health standards were used. The samples were analyzed and monitored according to the standard of the World Health Organization. Each seminal fluid sample was further divided into three parts. The control group was frozen without any intervention. The toxicity test group was mixed with 10 μM curcumin and the experimental group was mixed with 10 μM curcumin and then frozen and thawed, then, the findings were analyzed in SPSS software version 25.
Results: Based on the obtained findings from this study, it was found that in the curcumin freezing group, the viability is significantly more favorable than the control group. (P<0.05) The results also showed that the progressive sperm motility in the freezing group with Curcumin increased significantly and non-progressive motility of sperm significantly decreased. On the other hand, the normal morphology of sperms in the curcumin frozen group did not show a significant difference compared to the control group (P-Value<0.05). the amount of ROS production in the control group after thawing is significantly increased compared to the toxicity and curcumin test group (P<0.001), the amount of lipid peroxidation in the control group after thawing compared to the toxicity and curcumin test group as has increased significantly. (P<0.001)
conclusion: Based on the findings of this study, it can be said that curcumin at a dose of 10 μM can effectively improve the parameters of human sperm after freezing and thawing.
Keywords

Ethics Approval ID: IR.IAU.PS.REC.1400.366

1.             Larsen U. Research on infertility: which definition should we use? Fertil Steril. 2005;83(4):846-52. doi: 10.1016/j.fertnstert.2004.11.033
2.             Masoumi SZ, Parsa P, Darvish N, Mokhtari S, Yavangi M, Roshanaei G. An epidemiologic survey on the causes of infertility in patients referred to infertility center in Fatemieh Hospital in Hamadan. Iran J Reprod Med. 2015; 13(8):513-6. doi: PMC4637117
3.             Wilkes S, Chinn DJ, Murdoch A, Rubin G. Epidemiology and management of infertility: a population-based study in UK primary care. Fam Pract. 2009;26(4):269-74. doi: 10.1093/fampra/cmp029
4.             Rooney KL, Domar AD. The relationship between stress and infertility. Dialogues Clin Neurosci. 2018;20(1):41-47. doi: 10.31887/DCNS.2018.20.1/klrooney
5.             Mahdirejei HA, Peeri M, Azarbayjani MA, Fattahi Masrour F. Fluoxetine combined with swimming exercise synergistically reduces lipopolysaccharide-induced depressive-like behavior by normalizing the HPA axis and brain inflammation in mice. Pharmacol Biochem Behav. 2023;232:173640. doi: 10.1016/j.pbb.2023.173640
6.             Khalaji N, Namyari M, Rasmi Y, Pourjabali M, Chodari L. Protective effect of curcumin on fertility of rats after exposure to compact fluorescent lamps: An experimental study. Int J Reprod Biomed. 2018;16(7):447-454. doi: PMC6129376
7.             Głombik K, Basta-Kaim A, Sikora-Polaczek M, Kubera M, Starowicz G, Styrna J. Curcumin influences semen quality parameters and reverses the di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate (DEHP)-induced testicular damage in mice. Pharmacol Rep. 2014; 66(5):782-7. doi: 10.1016/j.pharep.2014.04.010
8.             Soleimanzadeh A, Saberivand A. Effect of curcumin on rat sperm morphology after the freeze-thawing process. Vet Res Forum. 2013; 4(3):185-9. doi: PMC4312379
9. Glander HJ, Schaller J. Hidden effects of cryopreservation on quality of human spermatozoa. Cell Tissue Bank. 2000;1(2):133–142. doi: 10.1023/A:1010122800157
10. Masuda T, Maekawa T, hidaka K, et al. Chemical studies on antioxidant mechanisms of curcumin: analysis of oxidative coupling products from curcumin and linoleate. J Agric Food Chem. 2001;49:2539–2547. doi: 10.1021/jf001442x
11. Aparnak P, Saberivand A. Effects of curcumin on canine semen parameters and expression of NOX5 gene in cryopreserved spermatozoa. Vet Res Forum. 2019; 10(3):221-226. doi: 10.30466/vrf.2019.76137.2015
12. Kotha RR, Luthria DL. Curcumin: biological, pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, and analytical aspects. Molecules. 2019;24(16):E2930. doi: 10.3390/molecules24162930
13. Amouzad Mahdirejei H, Peeri M, Azarbayjani MA, Masrour FF. Diazepam and exercise training combination synergistically reduces lipopolysaccharide-induced anxiety-like behavior and oxidative stress in the prefrontal cortex of mice. Neurotoxicology. 2023;97:101-108. doi: 10.1016/j.neuro.2023.06.004
14. Kang J, Chen J, Shi Y, Jia J, Zhang Y. Curcumin-induced histone hypoacetylation: the role of reactive oxygen species. Biochem Pharmacol. 2005;69(8):1205–1213. doi: 10.1016/j.bcp.2005.01.014
15. Menkveld R, Wong WY, Lombard CJ, Wetzels AM, Thomas CM, Merkus HM, Steegers-Theunissen RP. Semen parameters, including WHO and strict criteria morphology, in a fertile and subfertile population: an effort towards standardization of in-vivo thresholds. Hum Reprod. 2001;16(6):1165-71. doi: 10.1093/humrep/16.6.1165
16. Barratt CLR, Björndahl L, De Jonge CJ, Lamb DJ, Osorio Martini F, McLachlan R, et al. The diagnosis of male infertility: an analysis of the evidence to support the development of global WHO guidance-challenges and future research opportunities. Hum Reprod Update. 2017;23(6):660-680. doi: 10.1093/humupd/dmx021
Volume 3, Issue 1
april 2026
Spring 2026
Pages 45-56

  • Receive Date 09 October 2025
  • Revise Date 20 November 2025
  • Accept Date 31 December 2025
  • First Publish Date 31 December 2025
  • Publish Date 21 March 2026