Protective Effects of Umbelliferone in Experimental Testicular Ischaemia/Reperfusion Injury in Rats

Testicular torsion, a true emergency urologic case, causes biochemical and morphological changes mediated by ischaemia/reperfusion injury of the testicular tissue. Ischaemia/reperfusion injury is associated with excessive production of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species. The present study was designed to investigate the possible protective effects of umbelliferone (UMB) in a rat model of testicular torsion/detorsion, focusing on oxidative stress and antioxidant defenses. Rats were pre-treated with either 50 or 100 mg/kg body weight UMB for 7 days through oral gavage. Rats were then subjected to testicular torsion for 2 h, and an orchiectomy was performed after 2 h of detorsion. The levels of lipid peroxidation and nitric oxide were significantly (P<0.001) increased in the testis of torsion/detorsion-induced rats. Testicular reduced glutathione, superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase as well as serum inhibin B levels were decreased significantly (P<0.001) after torsion/detorsion. Pre treatment of the torsion/detorsion-induced rats with either UMB dose markedly decreased lipid peroxidation and nitric oxide levels, and ameliorated testicular antioxidant defenses and serum inhibin B levels. Inaddition, UMB-treated animals displayed an improved histological appearance. It could be concluded that the cytoprotective effects of UMB on the ischaemia/reperfusion testicular injury are mediated through attenuation of oxidative stress.