Protective Effects of Capsaicin on Experimental Testicular Torsion and Detorsion Injury

Objective: Testicular torsion is one of the most common genital diseases in males in adolescence and it should be treated as soon as possible without ipsilateral testicular dysfunction. We investigated the protective effect of Capsaicin, which is an active ingredient of red-hot pepper, an antioxidant substance, on tissue damage caused by ischemia/reperfusion (I/R).Materials and Methods: Forty male, 250-300 g adult male rats were divided into 4 groups, 10 in each group. The torsion was created by rotating the spermatic cord of both testicles counterclockwise by 720 degrees. In the experimental group where we applied capsaicin, detorsion was performed after 2 h of torsion. Malondialdehyde (MDA), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and catalase (CAT) were evaluated. Testicular tissue was stained with hematoxylin/eosin for histopathological evaluation.Results: In the Capsaicin group showed reduced tubular damage and seminiferous tubules in a structure similar to ischemia and spermatogenic cell series in the tubular wall and decreased edema in the interstitial area. SOD, MDA and CAT levels evaluated for the determination of lipid peroxidation were observed to be close to the control group values in the Capsaicin administered group.Conclusion: Capsaicin had a protective effect on I/R injury in the testicle.