Possible therapeutic effects of PROK2 in testicular ischemia/reperfusion injury: A preclinical study in Wistar albino rats.

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the therapeutic effects of PROK2 on oxidative stress, inflammatory response, and tissue damage caused by ischaemia/reperfusion (I/R) in testicular tissue. A total of 48 prepubertal male Wistar albino rats were divided into four groups: sham, testicular torsion/detorsion (TTD), testicular torsion + PROK2 + detorsion (TT + PROK2 + TD), and testicular torsion/detorsion + PROK2 (TTD + PROK2) (n = 12). Testicular torsion/detorsion surgeries (2 hours of torsion followed by 24 hours of detorsion) were performed on all groups except the sham group. The TT + PROK2 + TD group received a single dose of PROK2 (60 nmol/kg) intraperitoneally 30 minutes before the end of torsion, while the TTD + PROK2 group received a single dose of PROK2 (60 nmol/kg) at the beginning of detorsion. Subsequently, biochemical parameters (serum testosterone level, total antioxidant capacity (TAS), total oxidant capacity (TOS), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), and interleukin-6 (IL-6) levels in testicular tissue), as well as histopathological and immunohistochemical changes, were evaluated. In TTD, a significant decrease was observed in testosterone and TAS levels, while there was an increase in TOS, TNF-α, and IL-6 levels. PROK2 treatment reduced inflammatory parameters and enhanced antioxidant parameters and testosterone levels. Additionally, a low Johnsen's score and spermatogonia count in the TTD group improved with PROK2 treatment. We concluded that PROK2, by exhibiting antioxidative and anti-inflammatory properties, may have a therapeutic effect on I/R-induced tissue damage in testicular tissue.