New treatment of idiopathic severe oligozoospermia with mast cell blocker: results of a single-blind study

Abstract

To determine whether mast cell blocker (tranilast) improves fertility and/or semen parameters in severe oligozoospermia. Placebo-controlled single-blind clinical study. Nagoya University Hospital Andrology Clinic, Nagoya, Japan. Fifty men with sperm density < 5 x 10(6) sperm/mL, normal serum gonadotropins, and T, and a fertile partner were enrolled in this study. Patients were prescribed randomly 300 mg/d tranilast or a placebo, three tablets per day, for 3 months. Semen and blood samples were collected before and after therapy. Semen parameters, serum gonadotropins, T, and PRL were evaluated before and after therapy. The pregnancy rate (PR) in the mast cell blocker group was 28.6% compared with 0% in the placebo group. There was a statistical difference in the PR between groups. The mast cell blocker group had significantly higher levels of sperm density, sperm motility, and total motile sperm count. There were no differences between the mast cell blocker and placebo groups in seminal volume and normal sperm morphology. The authors conclude that mast cell blocker is clinically useful for the treatment of idiopathic severe oligozoospermic men.