Introduction: The torsion of the testis is a surgical emergent situation which is common; however there are no effective measures to avoid damage of the testis after untwisting this torsion. L-carnitine (LC) is an essential micronutrient with strong anti-apoptotic, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant potencies that can reverse oxidative stress induced testicular damage.
Aim of the Work: To evaluate the potential protective role of LC against the testicular damage induced by ischemia-reperfusion (IR) injury in rabbits.
Materials and Methods: 50 adult male rabbits weighing 1300-1600 g were divided into 5 groups (10 rabbits per group). Acute IR testicular injury was induced in rabbits by twisting the left spermatic cord 720º for 2 h. Group 1: Control group and divided into two subgroups (subgroup A negative control and subgroup B positive control); Group 2: Sham-operated; Group 3: Ischemia group; Group 4: IR group (testicular IR was induced without LC); Group 5: IR+LC testicular IR was induced and LC was given by intra-peritoneal injection at a dose of 500 mg/kg immediately after torsion. At the experimental end, tissue samples of left testes were collected from all rabbits of the five groups and evaluated biochemically and histologically.
Results: Ischemia-reperfusion resulted in disturbance of the oxidant/antioxidant status markers, loss of normal architecture of spermatogenic cells, apparent increase in the number of caspase-3 positive spermatogenic cells as well as abnormal fragmented chromatin material in addition to lack of halos around the sperm nuclei. However, the intra-peritoneal administration of LC immediately after torsion significantly improved these changes caused by IR on the testes.
Conclusion: Administration of LC reduced the testicular damage induced by the ischemia-reperfusion.