The Effect of Ceratonia siliqua L. on Semen Parameters in Infertile Men: A Systematic Review

Background & aim: At least ۵۰% of infertile couples' problems are related to the male factor infertility. There is widespread use of herbal medicine among men for infertility problems. This systematic review was conducted to determine the effect of Ceratonia siliqua L. (Carob) on semen parameters in idiopathic infertile men.Methods: This systematic review was performed according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA). Articles were selected without time and language restriction through searching English databases including Medline, Scopus, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, and ProQuest as well as Persian databases of SID, Magiran, IranDoc, and IranMedex using MeSH terms including male infertility, RCT, herbal medicine, idiopathic male infertility, Ceratonia siliqua L, Carob, semen parameters and their equivalent words in Persian, which were searched individually or in combination. Two reviewers independently assessed eligibility and quality of included articles and any disagreements were resolved by consensus with a third party.Results: Out of ۱۴۰ articles, ۹۷ documents were removed due to duplication. After screening ۴۳ remaining articles, ۳۰ articles were excluded based on the title and abstract, and eight articles due to being conducted on animals. One article was the study protocol, which was also excluded. Finally, four articles were included in systematic review. All studies reported Carob is effective in improving some or all parameters of semen including count, motility, and morphology.Conclusion: Considering small number of human studies related to the effect of Carob on semen parameters, conducting more robust clinical trials are recommended.

Keywords:

Ceratonia siliqua L , Male Infertility , semen parameters , Herbal Medicine , Systematic review