@2024 Afarand., IRAN

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ISSN: 2252-0805    The Horizon of Medical Sciences 2017;23(1):63-67

Background
Blunt testicular trauma which occurs mainly during collisional exercises, can cause testicular tissue damage to children [1].
Previous Studies
… [2-9]. Studies have shown the role of sildenafil in improving the testicular tissue damage by inhibiting the production of free radicals and increasing the effectiveness of the antioxidant defensive device [10, 11]. Also, no apparent reproductive effects have been reported after long-term use of this compound [7].
Aim(s)
The aim of this study was to evaluate the role of sildenafil which has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities in protecting the contralateral testis after unilateral blunt testicular trauma in mouse.
Research type
This is an experimental study.
Research society, place and time
Immature male rats were studies.
Sampling method and number
24 20-year-old male mice with a weighing mean of 10±3 grams were collected from the laboratory for animal care from the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Urmia. Animals were kept under 12 hours of light and 12 hours of darkness at 25±2°C and relative humidity of 50±10%. All animals were fed in equal nutritional conditions with corn, wheat, barley and pellet with equal ratios and free access to water for all of them.
Used devices&materials
Following a week’s adaptation to the environmental conditions, the animals were randomly divided into four groups: control, blunt trauma, blunt trauma + sildenafil, and sildenafil. 1) Control group: In the animals of this group, following the ketamine enzyme, a transverse incision was made in the vertebral column of the abdomen immediately without manipulating the testes, the incision part was stitched. 2) Blunt traumatic group: in the animals of this group, after opening the abdomen, the right testis was placed on a sterile steady surface and blunt trauma was created by releasing a sterile 5- gram weight from a height of 10 cm. Finally, after restoring the testis to the normal position, the abdominal region was sutured. 3) Blunt trauma + sildenafil: in this group, also, unilateral blunt testicular trauma was created. However, the animals in this group received 0.1 mg per kg of body weight of physiologically soluble sildenafil drug intradermally daily from the day of making trauma for 7 days. 4) Sildenafil group: Animals of this group received 0.1 mg per kg of body weight physiological saline solution for 7 days from the day of trauma intra-peritoneally (No surgical intervention was performed in this group). The study lasted for a period of 7 weeks. All doses, schedules, and surgical procedures were designed according to previous studies [6, 11]. Subsequent to mice suppression and removal of the left testicle, the testicular tissue samples were fixed in 10% formaldehyde formalin in special containers, and then after the stages of the passage of tissue, they were molded with paraffin. Then, using a micrometer, 6 micrometer sections were made of paraffin molds and finally, hematoxylin-eosin staining method was used for staining the samples. In order to evaluate the diameter and height of the epithelial cells of testis spermatozoon tubes in different groups, 200 cross sections of circular or nearly spherical spermatozoon tubes were randomly studied in each mice using an optical microscope (Olympus, Japan) and scaled lens with enlargement magnitude 400. In this regard, two diameters perpendicular to each other in each of the transverse sections of the testis sperm tubes were recorded and their mean were calculated. Germinal epithelium height was measured in four regions (with equal intervals) from each of the transverse sections of the spermatogenous tubes and the mean values were recorded. In order to study the spermatogenesis indices, 100 tubes of spermatozoa were examined in each testicle, and tubal differentiation, spemiogenesis and reconstruction indices were respectively calculated as the percentage of sperm tubes containing three or more of the three spermatogenic cell lines differentiated from spermatogonium A cells, the percentage of sperm tubes with normal spermogenesis and the percentage of spermatogonial tubes in which the germinal cells had been reached to the interstitial spermatogonium class or subsequent classes [12, 13]. Data were analyzed using SPSS 18 software package. For between comparison, one-way ANOVA test and following that Tukey’s multiple comparative tests were used.
Findings by Text
Blunt testicular trauma caused severe morphological changes in the testicular tissues of the transverse side (Figure c-1). Sperm tubes in the left testicular tissue of these animals showed severe atrophy along with significant hypocellularity, collapse and vacuelation in germinal epithelium. Blood vessel dilatation and hyperemia, infiltration of immune cells, edema and increased interstitial space were also noticeable. In the group received sildenafil following trauma (Fig. D-1), the testicular tissue had a fairly natural tissue structure although these was a slight collapse in the epithelium of spermicidal tubules in this group. In the control group (Fig. A-1) and the group receiving sildenafil only (Fig. B-1), the epithelial cells of the spermatozoa and interstitial tissues were normal and represented the active spermatogenesis of the spermatozoon tubes. The unilateral single-sided blunt trauma of the testicle significantly reduced the mean diameter and height of the epithelial cells of the spermatozoa tubes as well as tubal differentiation, spermiogenesis and reconstruction of traverse testicle (p<0.05), while sildenafil administration resulted in a significant increase in the level of above parameters in the left testicle compared to trauma group (p<0.05; Table 1).
Main comparison to the similar studies
… [14-16]. Previous studies have also shown that unilateral testicular trauma leads to degeneration of the intestinal testicular germ cells due to the formation of immune responses and impairment of the blood-testicular dysfunction [15,17]. … [18-26].
Suggestions
The detection of anti-sperm antibodies and inflammatory cytokines in order to reveal the exact mechanism of the effects of this group of traumas, and the sildenafil drug in the male reproductive system is suggested.
Limitations
There was no significant limitation in this study.
Conclusions
Sildenafil can have protective effects against fertility disorders caused by unilateral blunt testicular trauma in mice.
Acknowledgments
The authors of the paper need to express their gratitude to Urmia University for supporting this study.
Conflict of interest
Non-declared
Ethical Permissions
All ethical issues related to working with laboratory animals during the course of this study were carried out in accordance with the guidelines adopted by Ethical Committee of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine of the University of Urmia.
Funding Sources
This research was funded by Urmia University.

TABLES and CHARTS

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