Assessment of possible protective effects of berberine on ischemic reperfusion injury in an acute ischemic priapism model

Introduction: Ischemic priapism, which can be considered as penile compartment syndrome, runs with venous obstruction and stasis in the corpus cavernosum. If not treated, it causes cavernosal smooth muscle necrosis, irreversible corporal fibrosis, and erectile dysfunction. On the other hand, termination of priapism leads to ischemia-reperfusion (IR) injury. Berberine, one of the bioactive alkaloids found in plants is used in prevention or detoxification free radicals that lead to oxidative stress of cells. Aim: We aimed to evaluate the possible protective effects of berberine in histological and biochemical parameters in the penile ischemia-reperfusion model in rats. Materials and Methods: In this experimental study, 18 adult male Spraque Dawley rats weighing 350-400 gr were used (three groups consisting of 6 rats each control, priapism+reperfusion and priapism+reperfusion+berberine groups). Penectomy materials, obtained at the end of study, was investigated for changes in tissue TOS, TAS, OSI, GSH, MPO, GRP78, ATF6, CHOP, MDA, SOD, GPx levels, and histological features of the removed penile tissue (for vasocongestion in caverns, urethral epithelial degeneration, mean sinusoidal area of caverns (µm2), vascular congestion in caverns, increase in connective tissue around the cavern) were evaluated. Results: Among the biochemical data, statistically significant differences were observed for tissue TOS, OSI, GSH, MPO, GRP78, ATF6, CHOP (p<0.05). No statistically significant difference was found in terms of histological data. Conclusion: Our findings suggested that berberine may have an antioxidant property and can decrease metabolic disorders which were caused by I/R. Keywords: Priapism, Berberine, Reperfusion injury