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Sevoflurane protects against testicular ischaemia-reperfusion injury in rats
Jiaxue Li1,2, Zhibing Yan1,2, Shichao Wei1,2
1Department of Anesthesiology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China.
Background And Purpose:
Testicular torsion, a urological emergency, can lead to testicular dysfunction or infertility due to ischaemia-reperfusion injury, yet current interventions remain limited. Although sevoflurane, an inhaled anaesthetic, has shown organ-protective effects against ischaemia-reperfusion injury in the heart and brain, its role in testicular ischaemia-reperfusion injury is unclear.
Experimental Approach:
A rat model of acute (720° with 3-h ischaemia/3-h reperfusion) and long-term (720° with 1-h ischaemia/3-day reperfusion) testicular ischaemia-reperfusion injury was set up to explore the protective effects and mechanisms of preconditioning and post-conditioning with sevoflurane.
Key Results:
1.5 minimum alveolar concentration (MAC) sevoflurane for 30 min significantly mitigated acute ischaemia-reperfusion injury, as shown by reductions in bilateral testicular oedema, oxidative stress (lower MDA levels), inflammation (decreased TNF-α, IL-6) and apoptosis (reduced Bax/Bcl-2 ratio). Long-term, it alleviated testicular atrophy and enhanced sperm count, motility and spermatogenesis. Mechanistically, sevoflurane activated ERK1/2 phosphorylation in the RISK pathway, with its protective effects being abolished by the ERK1/2 inhibitor U0126.
Conclusion And Implications:
Sevoflurane exerts acute and chronic protective effects against bilateral testicular ischaemia-reperfusion injury via ERK1/2 signalling and offers a novel pharmacological strategy to mitigate complications following de-torsion.
