Ceratonia siliqua Protects Testicular Tissue in Ischemia/Reperfusion Injury

Testicular torsion is a urological emergency with a risk of resulting in loss of testicular function due to ischemia/reperfusion injury (I/R) injury caused by oxidative stress. Ceratonia siliqua is known to decrease oxidative stress in urological pathologies. We investigated the protective effects of C. siliqua against I/R injury.

Wistar rats (n = 28) were divided into control, i.p. C. siliqua injected, I/R injury group, and C. siliqua injected each day for a week after I/R groups. They were morphologically evaluated with light and electron microscopy, and Caspase-3, Hypoxia-inducible factor 1 alpha (HIF-1), CD68, Superoxide dismutase (SOD), and Catalase antibodies were marked. Oxidative stress markers of Glutathione (GSH), malondialdehyde (MDA), reactive oxygen species (ROS), advanced oxidation protein products (AOPP), and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) from tissue and levels of testosterone, Anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) and inhibin-B from blood samples were examined.

C.siliqua treatment preserved tissue integrity (p < 0.0001) and Leydig cells and decreased apoptotic (p = 0.0390) and necrotic changes when compared with the I/R group. The I/R group presented mitochondrial damage, intercellular edema, and vacuolization. Oxidative stress was less with treatment, but hormone levels were unchanged.

C.siliqua preserved the testicular tissue against I/R-induced damage. The decreased apoptosis may have been caused by the significant oxidative stress protection properties of C.siliqua. One week of treatment with C.siliqua protected Leydig cell morphology but did not change hormone parameters in the rat model. The therapeutic effect of C.siliqua is promising for clinical use in testis torsion cases.