ArticleHeliyon2024
L-carnitine combined with traditional Chinese medicine for male infertility: A systematic review and meta-analysis.
Article in Heliyon, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Who cites it
2 citing papers in PubMed.
- Modified Liuwei Dihuang Decoction Ameliorates Oligoasthenozoospermia in Mice via Modulation of the PI3K/AKT/Nrf2 Signaling Pathway.Pharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- A Novel Chiral Molecularly Imprinted Electrochemical Sensor Based on β-CD Functionalized Graphene Quantum Dots for Enantioselective Detection of D-Carnitine.Foods (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
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Authors and funding
8 authors.
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No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Background: Fertility rates are declining globally, and male infertility is increasingly recognized as a significant challenge. This study aims to present the latest findings on the effectiveness and safety of combining traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) with L-carnitine (LC) for treating male infertility. Methods: We searched 8 databases. Randomized controlled trials of TCM combined with LC therapy versus LC alone in the treatment of male infertility. The outcome included: pregnancy rate, sperm motility, concentration, volume, viability and liquefaction time. Subgroup analyses were also performed according to type of TCM, type of dosage form, and different TCM treatments, and the source of the high heterogeneity was explored. The study is registered on PROSPERO (CRD42023421497). Results: 1129 subjects from 12 of the 1833 eligible studies fulfilled the criteria. Compared with LC treatment alone, the combination of TCM and LC significantly improved pregnancy rate [RR = 1.65, 95 % CI (1.37-2.00)], grade (a+b) sperm motility [SMD = 1.56, 95 % CI (1.12, 2.01)], grade (a) sperm motility [SMD = 1.04, 95 % CI (0.69, 1.38)], sperm concentration [SMD = 1.39, 95 % CI (0.91, 1.86)], and sperm viability [SMD = 1.72, 95 % CI (0.83, 2.60)]. Subgroup analyses indicated that Compound Xuanju Capsule and Yougui Capsule demonstrated better efficacy. And the decoction and not-decoction each had their own advantages. Conclusions: The combination of TCM with LC can have a dual effect: increasing pregnancy rates and sperm quality. Therefore, this combination is a recommended therapeutic strategy and a more appropriate type of TCM can be selected according to the patient's own characteristics.
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Registered trials
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