Effects of L-Glutamine on Vitrification of Human Semen: A Comparative Lab Trial

Abstract

To assess the effects of 10 mM L-glutamine on cryoprotectant-free vitrification of human semen.This lab trial was conducted on 15 semen samples collected from August 2023 to October 2023 in Mahdiyeh Hospital, Tehran, Iran. The samples were collected from consenting men requesting semen analysis. The samples had total sperm motilities of at least 40%, DNA fragmentation index (DFI)> 12%, and semen volumes were higher than 1 mL. Total motility, viability, DFI, and Hypo-Osmotic Swelling Test (HOST) results were compared between fresh, control freeze, and antioxidant-supplemented freeze groups. The data was analyzed with t-test. The results showed higher levels of total motility and viability, in the antioxidant group compared to the control freeze group. However, the differences did not reach statistical significance (P>0.05). DFI levels in post-warming samples of the L-glutamine group remained higher than in fresh samples and similar to vitrification without antioxidants (P< 0.05). This research suggests that L-glutamin at a 10mM dose has no protective effect against DNA fragmentation.