Abstract
This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of hochuekkito on semen parameters, and to clarify the relationships among IL-6, TNF-α, RANTES, and semen parameters in idiopathic male infertility. Twenty patients with idiopathic oligozoospermia and/or asthenozoospermia (<20 x 10 6/ml and/or 50%) were given 7.5 g of herb daily for 3 months. Before and immediately after the final treatment, semen analysis and measurements of seminal plasma cytokines were performed. Seminal plasma levels of IL-6, TNF-α , and RANTES were analyzed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. Sperm motility was significantly increased after herb administration (p<0.002); however, semen volume, sperm count, and normal morphology did not change. The seminal plasma level of RANTES was decreased after treatment (p<0.024); however, the seminal plasma levels of TNF-α and IL-6 were unchanged. Hochuekkito may influence the concentrations of certain cytokines in seminal plasma.
