There are several causes leading to male infertility, like oxidative stress, and nutritional deficiency of trace elements like zinc. Zinc in human seminal plasma was divided into three types of ligands which are high (HMW), intermediate (IMW), and low molecular weight ligands (LMW). The present study was conducted to study the effect of Zn supplementation on the quantitative and qualitative characteristics of semen along with Zinc Binding Protein levels in semen of patients with asthenozoospmia.

Elevation of ROS levels lead to an increase the oxidation of HMW-Zn binding proteins in seminal plasma of asthenozoospermic subjects. Zinc supplementation restores HMW-Zn% in seminal plasma of asthenozoospermic subjects to normal value. LMW-Zn% is elevated in seminal plasma of asthenozoospermic patients. It may be because increment the levels of semenogelin in seminal plasma of asthenozoospermic subjects. Zinc supplementation elevates LMW-Zn% in seminal plasma of asthenozoospermic subjects to more than normal value, this may be because of its enhancement of the synthesis of metallothioneins (Low molecular weight zinc binding protein).

Inclusion Criteria:

The inclusion criteria were the presence of asthenozoospermia in the semen sample.

Exclusion Criteria:

• the absence of endocrinopathy,
• varicocele, and
• female factor infertility. Smokers and alcoholic men were excluded from the study because of their recognized high seminal ROS levels and decreased antioxidant levels.

This study includes 37 subfertile male partners from couples who had consulted the infertility clinic of the Babil hospital of maternity (Hilla city/ IRAQ).