The antioxidant role of N-acetylcysteine on the testicular remote injury after skeletal muscle ischemia and reperfusion in rats

It is known that ischemia reperfusion causes remote organ injury as well as local injury.

The aim of this study was to investigate whether N-acetylcysteine has a protective effect against testicular injury after skeletal muscle ischemia reperfusion.

Twenty male Wistar rats were allocated to two groups: ischemia reperfusion (control group) and ischemia reperfusion + N-acetylcysteine (treatment group). All animals underwent 2 h of ischemia by occlusion of the femoral artery and 24 h of reperfusion. Rats in treatment group received N-acetylcysteine (150 mg/kg IV) before the reperfusion period. After the reperfusion period, testes were removed for histopathological and biochemical studies. The blood samples were collected for evaluation of serum malondialdehyde (MDA) and nitric oxide (NO) production levels.

The MDA levels in testes homogenates were found to be significantly decreased in treatment group (p < 0.05). Treatment of N-acetylcysteine significantly decreased serum MDA and NO levels compared to the control group (p < 0.05). In the control group, tissues showed histological changes. Histopathologically, there was a significant difference (p < 0.05) between two groups.

According to histological and biochemical findings, we conclude that N-acetylcysteine has preventive effects in the testicular injury after skeletal muscle ischemia reperfusion.