Effect of Lomodex-MgSO4 in the prevention of reperfusion injury following unilateral testicular torsion:: an experimental study in rats

Fertility in patients treated for unilateral testicular torsion has been shown to be significantly reduced in all the reported series to date, implying that the present-day treatment requires further refinement in the form of adjunct pharmacotherapeutic intervention (Lomodex and MgSO4) in addition to scrotal exploration. Prepubertal Holtzman strain rats (35 days old) were used for our study. Two sets were formed with six groups of rats in each set. Rats were treated as follows: group 1, sham-operated group; group 2, torsion (4 h); group 3, torsion + detorsion (1 h); group 4, torsion + ATP-MgCl2 + adetorsion; group 5, torsion + Lomodex-MgSO4 + detorsion; group 6, torsion + normal saline + detorsion. Whereas the first set of animals was sacrificed immediately at the end of experiment, animals in set 2 were sacrificed 8 weeks after the end of the experiment to look for the development of antisperm antibodies. Parameters studied were thiobarbituric acid reductase (TBAR) assay, histology of testicular tissue, and sperm agglutination test. Student's t-test was used for significance. With detorsion (149.95 +/- 30.68) there was a significant rise in the TBAR values (P<0.05) compared with torsion (57.39 +/- 14.47). Treatment with both Lomodex-MgSO4 (40.74 +/- 6.39) and ATP-MgCl2 (48.30 +/- 18.35) yielded TBAR levels comparable to those in the sham group (31.35 +/- 11.96). Similar injury was also seen on the contralateral testis, with detorsion (114.28 +/- 10.68) much more detrimental than torsion (40.59 +/- 15.02) and rescue seen following treatment with Lomodex-MgSO4 (27.55 +/- 8.64) as well as ATP-MgCl2 (38.61 +/- 12.23). Regarding th histology, with detorsion there was evidence of severe distortion of tubules, with almost all the tubules showing maturation arrest and a few tubules completely devoid of any germinal cells. Treatment with Lomodex-MgSO4 as well as ATP-MgCl2 showed preservation of tubular morphology. Our study failed to document the presence of agglutinating antibodies (antisperm antibodies) in any of the groups. Unilateral testicular torsion has bilateral effects and is a form of ischemia-reperfusion injury. Treatment of torsion by detorsion alone does not prevent testicular damage. The results of the present study show that administration of Lomodex + MgSO4 prior to detorsion results in prolonged testicular salvage with a potential of subsequent improvement in semen quality and fertility and reduction in long-term morbidity. The presence of agglutinating antibodies could not be detected in the present study.