Desferrioxamine effectively attenuates testicular tissue at the end of 3 h of ischemia but not in an equal period of reperfusion.

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the effect of desferrioxamine (DFX) on ipsilateral and contralateral testis damage caused by experimental testis torsion and detorsion.

MATERIALS AND

METHODS

Forty rats were divided into five groups (n = 8): control, torsion (T), torsion + desferrioxamine (T + DFX), torsion/detorsion (T/D), and torsion/detorsion + desferrioxamine (T/D + DFX). The right testes of the rats were subjected to torsion and detorsion for 3 h each. Thirty minutes before the application of torsion and detorsion, DFX (100 mg/kg) was administered intramuscularly. Blood samples and testicular tissues were examined using specific biochemical and histopathological methods.

RESULTS

Ipsilateral and contralateral testis tissue glutathione levels in the T group decreased compared with the control and T + DFX groups. Plasma glutathione peroxidase activity in the T, T/D, and T/D + DFX groups was lower than in the control group. Plasma catalase activity in the T and T/D groups decreased compared with the control group. Ipsilateral mean seminiferous tubule diameter of the T group was lower than that of the T + DFX group. The ipsilateral mean testis biopsy scores in the T and T/D groups were lower than in the control group.

CONCLUSION

The administration of DFX prior to torsion may be useful only for preventing ischemic damage in ipsilateral and contralateral testes.