Apoptotic balance during testicular detorsion after one hour induced torsion in rats.

Abstract

Testicular torsion (TT) is an emergency complication that leads to oxidative stress and adversely affects spermatogenesis. Although immediate treatment consists of testicular detorsion (TD) to reverse TT-induced ischemia, mechanisms underlying recovery have yet to be fully understood. The current study aimed to investigate TD effects after a one-hour experimental TT by evaluating testicular antioxidant status and apoptosis-related proteins. Forty male Wistar rats were submitted to TT by testicular rotation, for one hour. Following TT, 32 rats were submitted to TD for 1, 2, 4, and 8h (N=8/group), the other 8 rats euthanized as TT-only. For controls, 8 rats were sham-operated. Testicular tissues were aseptically dissected for biochemical, histopathological, and immunohistochemistry analyses. The TD groups, especially after 4h of TD, exhibited diminished MDA and increased TAC and GPX levels in testicular tissue. Levels of p53 and Caspase-3 were down-regulated in T1D4 and T1D8groups versus torsion group. Bcl-2 was increased in T1D4 and T1D8groups compared to the TT group. Moreover, spermatogenesis was recovered in T1D4 and T1D8groups compared to the TT group. It can be concluded that after 1h TT in rats, at least 4h post-TD is needed for testicular tissue to initiate recovery.