Investigation of the effect of silymarin on oxidative DNA damage and inflammatory markers in ischemia/reperfusion injury following experimental testicular torsion/detorsion in rats

Abstract

The aim of the present study was to clarify the effects of silymarin on experimental testicular ischemia / reperfusion injury.A total of 40 Wistar albino rats (10–12 weeks of age, weighing 280–300 g) were randomly divided into five groups. Control group: Nosurgical procedures were performed. Torsion 3 h / detorsion 3 h group; torsion 3 h / detorsion 24 h group; torsion 3 h / detorsion 3 h+ silymarin (250 mg/kg) group; and torsion 3 h / detorsion 24 h + silymarin (250 mg/kg) group. In the study, 720° torsion was appliedto the left testicle. At the end of the study, blood was collected from the rats, and an orchiectomy was performed on the left testicles. Itwas found that tumor necrosis factor alpha (Tnf-α) and 8-hydroxy-2-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) expression levels in testicular tissueincreased significantly in torsion/detorsion groups, and the expression levels decreased significantly with silymarin administration. Inaddition, in the testicular tissue of the torsion/detorsion groups, glutathione (GSH) levels, superoxide dismutase (SOD), and glutathioneperoxidase (GPx) activities decreased, while malondialdehyde (MDA) levels increased. It was found that the parameters specified werereversed with the administration of silymarin. Based on our findings, we can say that silymarin reduces testicular injury by activatingantioxidant mechanisms in ischemia/reperfusion injury and minimizing the inflammatory response.