Protective Role of Urtica Dioica on Testicular Torsion/Detorsion-Induced Ischemia- Reperfusion Injury in Rats

Abstract

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the protective effect of Urtica dioica (UD) on testicular torsion/detorsion-induced ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury.Methods: Total of 32 male Wistar albino rats were divided into 4 groups (8 animals per group) as follows: Group 1, sham-operated control group; Group 2, I/R group; Group 3, UD (250 mg/kg for 14 days) group; and Group 4, I/R+UD (250 mg/kg for 14 days) group. Testicular torsion was created by rotating the right testis 720º clockwise. Ischemia period was 5 hours and orchidectomy was performed after 5 hours of detorsion.Results: Biochemical analyses of testicular tissue revealed malondialdehyde level was significantly higher in I/R group compared with that of control group and UD group (p 0.05). Additionally, UD-treated animals had better histopathological findings compared with I/R group.Conclusion: There are very few studies of histopathological changes in UD treatment of testicular torsion/detorsion-induced I/R injury in rats. UD may be a promising approach for treatment of testicular torsion