Prevention of development of post-traumatic atrophy of the rat testis by injection of aspirin

The left testis was punctured with a needle (diameter 3 mm) in 42 sexually mature Wistar rats. The development of atrophy of the testis was observed 12 days after the operation in control animals receiving “empty” suppositories: the weight of the injured organ was greatly reduced, the seminiferous tubules of the whole testis were empty, their spermatogenic epithelium had undergone degeneration or destruction, the permeability of the blood-testicular barrier (BTB) for endogenous globulins was increased, and sharp changes were found in the ultrafine structure of the principle components of the barrier — the tunica propria of the seminiferous tubules and the Sertoli cells. After injection of aspirin (0.5 g daily for 5 to 12 days) into the rats the development of post-traumatic atrophy of the testes was not observed. The aspirin had no effect on the character and intensity of pathological processes developing in the focus of injury, but it prevented the spread of destructive changes to the intact part of the testis and disturbance of the permeability of the BTB away from the region of injury. The effect of aspirin on the development of post-traumatic testicular atrophy is evidently connected with its inhibitory action on prostaglandin synthesis.