The changes in testicular vascular permeability during progression of the experimental varicocele

The vascular permeability of testicular capillaries which play a role in controlling the formation of testicular interstitial fluid was studied during the progressive course of experimental varicocele.

The pathology was developed through partial ligation of left renal vein in four groups of rats. Controls of each group were subjected to sham surgery. After different periods of varicocele creation (1, 3, 6 and 14 weeks), animals' testes per one of the study groups were extirpated and weighed. The volume density percentages of polymorphnuclear leukocytes (PMN) per testicular blood vessels; which are markers of the increase in vascular permeability, were also estimated in both testes. To further verify the obtained findings, another group of animals received human chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG) treatment 6 weeks after varicocele creation and their histopathological sections were examined.

Animal testes' of (1 and 3 weeks) groups were found to be significantly heavier (p<0.05) than their controls. PMN showed accumulation in testicular blood vessels and their volume density percentages per these blood vessels in both testes were significantly higher in each study group than in those of its controls. However, these percentages showed gradual significant decline as the duration of varicocele bearing gradually increased. The hCG-treated animals revealed more accumulation of the PMN in their histopathological sections.

The present results suggest that experimental varicocele may induce an increase in testicular vascular permeability, which then decreases gradually with time. It is supposed that parallel changes in the rate of formation of testicular interstitial fluid may be accompanied. The results have also showed that the vasculature of the testis with experimental varicocele can still respond to hCG.