Effectiveness of lycopene on experimental testicular torsion

Abstract Aim We aimed to demonstrate the long term effectiveness of lycopene, a precursor of vitamin A, on the testes for ischemia-reperfusion injury. Materials and methods Seventy male Wistar albino rats were used for this experiment. The rats were divided into seven groups. Group 1 served as the control group; group 2 was sham-operated; group 3 received 20 mg/kg/day lycopene (intraperitoneally); in group 4, the right testes of rats were kept torted for 2 hours and then were detorted and the animals lived for three days; in group 5, the right testes of rats were kept torted for 2 hours and then were detorted and the animals lived for ten days; in group 6, the right testes of the rats were kept torted for 2 hours and then detorted and the animals received 20 mg/kg/day lycopene (intraperitoneally) for three days; in group 7, the right testes of the rats were kept torted for 2 hours and then were detorted and the animals received 20 mg/kg/day lycopene (intraperitoneally) for ten days. Lycopene was used intraperitoneally. Some of the testes tissues were used for biochemical analyses and the other tissues were used for histological procedures. The Johnsen's score was used for seminiferous tubule deterioration. The TUNEL method was utilized to show apoptosis of testicular tissue. Testosterone levels were measured from blood samples and SOD, MDA, TNF-α, IL-1β and IL-6 measurements were recorded from tissue samples. The results were analyzed statistically. Results In groups 1, 2 and 3 there was normal testicular structure. Rats in groups 4 and 5 had damaged testicular tissues. In groups 6 and 7, in which we used lycopene, the testes were not better than those in groups 4 and 5. The MSTD and JTBS values were better in group 6, but not in group 7 among the torsion groups. As a result, MDA, SOD, TNF-α and IL-1β were increased and serum testosterone and IL-6 levels were decreased in groups 4 and 5 compared to group 1. There was no improvement in the groups treated with lycopene for therapeutic purposes. Conclusion It was shown that lycopene, as an antioxidant agent, is not effective for testicular torsion in the long term. This study can be considered as a preliminary study showing the need for further researches using different antioxidant agents to determine their long term effects in ischemia-reperfusion injuries in an appropriate experimental design.