Oral probenecid improves sperm motility in men with spinal cord injury |
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Authors: | Emad Ibrahim Teodoro C Aballa Charles M Lynne Nancy L Brackett |
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Institution: | 1. The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, Florida, USAe.ibrahim@miami.edu;3. The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, Florida, USA;4. The Department of Urology, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, Florida, USA |
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Abstract: | Study Design: Prospective cohort study (twenty men with spinal cord injury SCI]).Objective: Determine if administration of oral probenecid results in improved sperm motility in men with SCI.Setting: Major university medical center.Methods: Twenty men with SCI were administered probenecid for 4 weeks (250?mg twice a day for 1 week, followed by 500?mg twice a day for 3 weeks). Semen quality was assessed at three time points: pre-treatment, post-treatment (immediately after the 4-week treatment), and follow-up (4 weeks after the last pill was ingested).Result(s): Probenecid was well-tolerated by all subjects. Sperm motility improved in each subject after 4 weeks of oral probenecid. The mean percent of sperm with progressive motility increased from 19% to 26% (P < 0.05). A more striking increase was seen in the mean percent of sperm with rapid linear motility, from 5% to 17%, (P <0.001). This improvement continued into the four week follow up period. Similar improvements were seen in the total motile sperm count (15 million, 28 million, and 27 million at pre-treatment, post-treatment, and follow-up, respectively). Sperm concentration was not significantly different at pre-treatment, post-treatment, and follow-up, (52 million, 53 million and 53 million, respectively).Conclusion: This study showed that administration of an oral agent (probenecid) known to interfere with the pannexin-1 cellular membrane channel, can improve sperm motility in men with spinal cord injury. It is the first study to report improved sperm motility after oral medication in men with SCI. |
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Keywords: | Probenecid Inflammasome Spermatozoa Spinal cord injuries Infertility |
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