Investigation of the effects of p-coumaric acid in the experimental testicular ischemia reperfusion model

Testicular torsion (TT) is a urological emergency caused by rotation of the spermatic cord, leading to interruption of blood flow and testicular ischemia. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) play an important role in the pathophysiology of testicular ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury. p-Coumaric acid (p-CA) is the most abundant naturally occurring isomer of coumaric acid; it has many biological effects such as anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antioxidant, and antidiabetic. In this study, the effects of p-CA on the I/R model created by testicular torsion/detorsion (T/D) were investigated. 35 Sprague Dawley (250-300 g) male rats were used in the study and they were divided into 5 groups with 7 rats in each group. Only laparotomy was applied to the control group. In the I/R group, 720˚ 4 hours of torsion (ischemia) and 2 hours of detorsion (reperfusion) were applied to the left testis. Intraperitoneal (i.p) ethanol was given to the ethanol group 3.5 hours after the onset of anesthesia. i.p 50 and 100 mg/kg doses of p-CA were administered to the treatment groups 30 minutes before detorsion. The levels of oxidative stress and antioxidant parameters were measured in tissue and serum, and tissue samples were also evaluated histopathologically. p-CA treatment significantly decreased in serum and tissue I/R damage and increased malondialdehyde (MDA) levels. Tissue superoxide dismutase (SOD) levels did not differ significantly between the groups (p>0.05). Glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and glutathione (GSH) levels were lower in the I/R group compared to the control. While total oxidant status (TOS) levels increased with I/R, total antioxidant status (TAS) levels were lower in the I/R group compared to the control. There was no significant difference between the groups in serum GPx levels. GSH levels were significantly lower in the I/R group than in the control. There was no significant difference between the groups in TAS and TOS levels. In the histopathological examination, Johnsen testicular biopsy score (JTBS) was lower in the I/R and p-CA treatment groups compared to the control. Histopathological score level improved significantly in the I/R+p-CA 100 mg/kg group compared to the I/R group. According to the results of our study, p-CA showed a protective effect by reducing oxidative stress in testicular I/R damage.