Elucidating the Effect of Vitamin E Tocotrienol-Rich Fraction in Preventing Chronic Unpredictable Stress-Induced Male Reproductive Deficit Sprague–Dawley Rat.

Infertility is defined as a couple's inability to achieve a successful pregnancy within 12 months of unprotected sexual intercourse. Infertility has been identified by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a growing global disease. Furthermore, infertility impacts the family institution and the communities as this disease is often associated with silent struggle. Globally, around 186 million individuals or nearly 50 million couples or 1 in 8 couples have been diagnosed with infertility. Surprisingly, half of the individuals diagnosed with infertility were associated with men. This men factor accounts for 7% of the men population worldwide. The increasing trend of infertility in men has reached 50% and is expected to continue in the upcoming years. In addition, previous study have shown that the fertility rate of young men aged below 30 decreases by 15%. Recent finding have shown that, only 38% of the total young men participant having sperm concentration, motility, and morphology values that met WHO semen reference criteria. Male infertility is a reproductive problem caused by low sperm production, unusual and abnormal sperm function or obstructions that prevent the sperm delivery. Despite the increase in male infertility, the good news is that in many cases it's completely reversible. Numerous studies demonstrate that certain nutrients can directly impact sperm quality and can ultimately result in improved pregnancy rates. Recent study has shown low sperm quality is severely affected by psychological stress. It is thus suggested that psychological stress is associated with increased oxidant production and oxidative damage, and thus long-term exposure to psychological stressors may enhance the risk of many diseases including infertility. Vitamin E is a well-documented antioxidant and has been shown to inhibit free radical-induced damage to sensitive cell membranes. Supplementation of vitamin E particularly α-tocopherol, showed marked improvement in semen quality. Nonetheless, there is no study on the effect of supplementation of another isoform of vitamin E, tocotrienol, on sperm quality. Therefore, this study aims to determine the effect of daily tocotrienol supplementation on sperm quality and health, as well as the oxidative stress parameters associated with sperm quality and health.