Ultrastructural study of severe testicular damage following acute scrotal thermal injury

Abstract Aim The scrotum provides an appropriate environment for the testicles that is essential for spermatogenesis. The aim of this study was to investigate the severity of ultrastructural damage to the testicles after acute thermal injury. Materials and methods Twenty male Sprague–Dawley rats weighing 250 ± 20 g were randomly divided into four groups of five rats each (10 testicles in each group). In the sham group, animals were anesthetized, and both testicles were removed through a lower transverse abdominal incision. For animals in the burn induction group, a container filled with boiling water was used. For the T30 group, the scrota were in contact with steam from the boiling water for 30 s. This procedure was the same for the other two groups: the T60 group (60 s of steam contact) and the T90 group (90 s of steam contact). Skin biopsies of scrota and excisional biopsies of both testicles were taken 1 h after burn. Specimens were prepared for immunohistochemical and transmission electron microscopic examinations. Apoptotic and proliferative activity in the testicles and epidermal and dermal damage to the skin were measured. Results Histopathological examination indicated increasing epidermal and dermal damage to the skin in parallel with the length of contact between the scrota and the steam. Increased apoptotic activity was observed in animals after 30 s, testicular degeneration began at 60 s, and a diffuse degeneration was observed at 90 s with a high rate of apoptosis ( P < .005). Conclusion Our findings demonstrate that thermal trauma to scrotal skin directly affects proliferation, the occurrence of apoptotic and necrotic cell death of spermatogenic seria, Sertolli and Leydig cells in testicles. Attempts to protect the testicles from severe thermal damage are essential, when the scrotal skin is affected by the burn.