The role of apoptosis and protective effect of carnitine in contralateral testicular injury in experimental unilateral testicular torsion

BACKGROUND
We examined the role of programmed cell death (PCD) in the etiology of contralateral testis injury as well as the protective effect of carnitine.
METHODS
Thirty-six Wistar Albino rats were used in the study. Rats were divided into six groups as control, sham, torsion-detorsion with 6- and 24-hour intervals, and torsion-detorsion-carnitine administration with 6- and 24-hour intervals. The left testes of all rats were torsioned 720°. Intraperitoneal carnitine was administered to groups as 100 mg/kg one hour before detorsion. Orchiectomy was applied to the contralateral testis a week after detorsion. Testes were examined with respect to diameters of seminiferous tubules (DST), ratios of malonyl dialdehyde and Johnsen biopsy scores (JBS), and PCD ratios. Results were evaluated by ANOVA test.
RESULTS
Programmed cell death ratios were significantly higher in the torsion-detorsion with 6- and 24-hour intervals groups compared to the sham group. Those increases were more prominent in the torsion-detorsion with 24-hour interval group. DST and JBS of the control group were significantly higher than in the experimental groups (p<0.05). The protective effect of carnitine was significant in the 24-hour torsion group, while no significant difference were detected in the 6-hour torsion-detorsion-carnitine group.
CONCLUSION
Increased injury and PCD in the contralateral testis was observed with prolonged exposure time in this model. It was possible to decrease the injury with carnitine.

Deneysel tek taraflý testis torsiyonundaki karþý testis hasarýnda apoptozisin rolü ve karnitinin koruyucu etkisi

AMAÇ
Sýçanlarda oluþturulan tek taraflý testis torsiyonu modelinde, karþý testis hasarýnýn etyolojisinde programlanmýþ hücre ölümünün (PHÖ) rolü ve karnitinin koruyucu etkisi araþtýrýldý.
GEREÇ VE YÖNTEM
Otuz altý adet Wistar Albino sýçan altý gruba ayrýldý. Gruplar, kontrol, sham, 6 ve 24 saatlik torsiyon-detorsiyon ile 6 ve 24 saatlik torsiyon-detorsiyon-karnitin verilen þeklinde oluþturuldu. Sýçanlarýn sol testisleri torsiyone edildi. Tedavi gruplarýna, detorsiyondan bir saat önce periton içine karnitin verildi. Detorsiyondan bir hafta sonra sað orþiektomi yapýldý. Testisler Johnsen biyopsi skorlarý (JTBS), seminifer tübül çaplarý (STÇ), malonildialdehit ve PHÖ oranlarý açýsýndan incelendi. PHÖ oranlarý, immün floresans ve DNA agaroz gel elektroforeziyle saptandý. Sonuçlar ANOVA testiyle deðerlendirildi.
BULGULAR
Kontrol ve sham grubunun JTBS ve STÇ’leri, deney gruplarýnýn JTBS ve STÇ’lerinden anlamlý olarak yüksekti (p<0,05). 6 ve 24 saatlik torsiyon-detorsiyon grubundaki PHÖ oranlarý, sham grubuna göre belirgin olarak yüksekti, 24 saatlik torsiyon-detorsiyon grubundaki PHÖ artýþý daha belirgindi. Karnitinin koruyucu etkisi 24 saatlik torsiyon grubunda anlamlý bulunurken 6 saatlik torsiyon-detorsiyon sonrasý karnitin verilen grupta anlamlý farklýlýk saptanmadý.
SONUÇ
Tek taraflý testis torsiyonu modelinde karþý testiste, torsiyon süresiyle paralel olarak artan oranda hasarlanma ve PHÖ’de artýþ görülmektedir. Bu, uzun süreli torsiyonlarda, detorsiyon öncesi verilen karnitinle azaltýlabilir.