Increased nitric oxide is accompanied by lipid oxidation in adolescent varicocele

One of the mechanisms of injury in varicocele has been proposed to be elevated nitric oxide (NO). We aimed to determine the association between the elevation of NO and lipid oxidation in vanicocele compared with peripheral venous levels of these two substances as it has not been studied before. The study group consisted of 13 adolescents with left idiopathic varicocele of grades II-III. Blood specimens were obtained from dilated spermatic and peripheral veins simultaneously. Peripheral samples were also collected from 13 healthy children as controls. Nitrite/nitrate levels (NOx) and levels of malonedialdehyde (MDA) were determined using Griess reaction and thiobarbitunic acid test, respectively. Results were compared with Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney tests. Peripheral NOx and MDA were the same in the study and control groups (P = 0.069 and p = 0.27, respectively). Spermatic vein NOx and MDA levels were elevated significantly compared with the peripheral levels in the study group (p = 0.005 and p = 0.048, respectively). Increased NOx levels with lipid oxidation occur locally in adolescent vanicocele, implying that these events could be reversed by early treatment.