Assesment of flaxseed on oxidative stress in prepubertal rats with experimental varicocele

Introduction: Perepubertal varicocele can result in hypotrophy of testes, sperm damage and decrease the function of leydig cells in future. pathophysiology of varicocele is unclear. Increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) is a major theory. There are many controversies in treatment of pediatric varicocele. Flaxseed (FS) is the richest source of lignans with antioxidant properties. The aim of this study was to investigate effect of flaxseed on oxidative stress in prepubertal rats with experimental varicocele. Methods: 35 male prepubertal rats were divided into 5 groups: control, sham, sham that fed base diet which was supplemented with 10% FS, varicocele, varicocele that fed base diet which was supplemented with 10% FS. Animals were sacrificed six weeks later. Sperm superoxide anion and H2O2 production, MDA in testis and total antioxidant capacity in semen were evaluated. Results: Intracellular superoxide anion and H2O2 production was significantly higher in varicocele induced group (P <= 0.001), but FS significantly decreased them (P <= 0.001). There was no significant difference for seminal plasma total antioxidant activity among all groups (P >= 0.05). Left testicular MDA concentration of rats with varicocele that were fed by FS 10% was lower compared with varicocele groups (P <= 0.05). Conclusion: Fs as a fat soluble antioxidant can protect the sperm membrane from the damage induced by ROS through its effective antioxidant potential.