The effects of N-acetylcysteine on testicular damage in experimental testicular ischemia/reperfusion injury.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study to evaluate the effects of N-acetylcysteine (NAC) on testicular damage in a rat testicular ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury model.

METHODS

Thirty male Wistar albino rats were divided into five groups. Group 1: sham control, Group 2: torsion (T), Group 3: torsion/detorsion (T/D), Group 4: the early NAC treatment plus T/D, 20 mg/kg of NAC was given intravenously 60 min before detorsion; Group 5: the late NAC treatment plus T/D, 20 mg/kg of NAC was given intravenously 5 min before detorsion. After torsion (2 h) and detorsion (2 h), bilateral orchiectomies were performed to determine the tissue levels of malondialdehyde (MDA) or more exactly thiobarbituric acid reactive substance (TBARS), myeloperoxidase activity and histopathological changes.

RESULTS

The most significant increase in the mean TBARS level and decrease in the mean seminiferous tubular diameter, germinal epithelial cell thickness values in bilateral testes were observed in T/D group rather than other groups. TBARS levels of early NAC treatment group were significantly lowered and histological parameters of spermatogenesis were significantly improved in bilateral testes when compared with T and T/D groups.

CONCLUSION

Our results suggest that the early administration of NAC may have a protective effect in the rat experimental testicular T/D models.