Vanillic acid attenuates testicular ischemia/reperfusion injury in rats

Background: Testicular torsion is an important pediatric problem and ischemia/reperfusion injury (IRI) is involved in its etiopathogenesis. Vanillic acid (VA) is a phenolic acid has strong antioxidant properties. To our knowledge, the ability of VA to reduce testicular IRI has not been previously investigated. It was therefore aimed to evaluate whether VA had a beneficial effect against testicular IRI model in rats for the first time. Twenty-four rats were segregated into four groups: sham control, torsion/detorsion (T/D), T/D + VA (50 mg/kg and 100 mg/kg). The levels of testicular oxidative stress, inflammation, endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress and apoptosis markers were determined using colorimetric methods. Hematoxylin-eosin staining method was used in the histopathological evaluation. Results: Oxidative stress, inflammation, ER stress and apoptosis levels were significantly higher in testicular tissues of rats with only IRI model (p < 0.05). VA applications improved these injuries in a dose-dependent manner (p < 0.05). Moreover, it was found that the results of histological examinations supported the biochemical results to a statistically significant extent. Conclusions: It was revealed that VA application can remove testicular IRI for the first time. This testicular protective efficacy of VA needs to be supported by more extensive preclinical studies.

Automated summary

This study aimed to evaluate the beneficial effects of vanillic acid (VA) on testicular ischemia/reperfusion injury (IRI) model. The results showed that VA improved oxidative stress, inflammation, endoplasmic reticulum stress, and apoptosis levels in testicular tissues in a dose-dependent manner. Histological examination results also supported the biochemical findings.