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Short- and long-term effects of rapamycin on ischemic damage and apoptotic changes in torsion of rat testes

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Abstract

Rapamycin has antioxidant defense mechanisms and immune suppressive effects. To detect the short- and long-term effects of rapamycin on ischemic damage and apoptotic changes in torsion of rat testes, mature male albino Wistar rats (n = 48) were included in the study as control, sham, early torsion-detorsion (T/D), early rapamycin treatment, early rapamycin control, late T/D, late rapamycin treatment, and late rapamycin control. The right testis was rotated 720° in a clockwise direction during 4 h in operation groups. Rapamycin was administered orally three times: 30 min before detorsion and 24 and 48 h after detorsion. The animals were killed on the third day in early groups and on the tenth day in late groups after detorsion. Statistically significant differences among all groups were detected for SOD and TBARS, mean seminiferous tubule diameter (MSTD) and Cosentino’s histologic score (CHS), caspase 3, bax, average number of apoptotic cells per tubule (ANPCT), and percentage of apoptotic tubule (PAT) values. ANPCT values ​​were 10% lower in the rapamycin treatment groups compared with the untreated T/D groups, and the PAT values ​​were also approximately 1.3 times lower. Although short-term usage of rapamycin may reduce to the tubular injury caused by I/R conversely to apoptosis in the testicular tissue after testicular torsion, rapamycin may have the potential to increase the long-term apoptosis with/without testicular torsion and a subsequent regression in fertility.

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Funding

The study was funded by DUBAP Project Number: 2018.04.02.739.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pediatric Surgery, Duzce University Medical Faculty, Duzce, Turkey

    Murat Kabaklıoğlu & Murat Kaya

  2. Department of Medical Biochemistry, Duzce University Medical Faculty, Duzce, Turkey

    Ibrahim Ethem Şahin

  3. Department of Medical Pathology, Duzce University Medical Faculty, Duzce, Turkey

    Mehmet Gamsızkan & Atike Bahçıvan

  4. Department of Medical Genetics, Duzce University Medical Faculty, Duzce, Turkey

    Recep Eröz

Authors
  1. Murat Kabaklıoğlu
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  2. Murat Kaya
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  3. Ibrahim Ethem Şahin
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  4. Mehmet Gamsızkan
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  5. Atike Bahçıvan
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Contributions

The authors declare that all data were generated in-house and that no paper mill was used. Murat Kabaklıoğlu, Murat Kaya: Manuscript writing, coordination of the study, database management, data analysis, contribution to the concept. Murat Kabaklıoğlu, Recep Eröz: Design and critical revision of article. Mehmet Gamsızkan, Atike Bahçıvan, Ibrahim Ethem Şahin: Data analysis, contribution to the concept, critical revision of manuscript, drafting article. Murat Kabaklıoğlu, Murat Kaya, Recep Eröz: Data collection, statistical analysis

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Correspondence to Murat Kabaklıoğlu.

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Author Dr. Murat Kabaklıoğlu has received research grants from DUBAP.

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Kabaklıoğlu, M., Kaya, M., Şahin, I.E. et al. Short- and long-term effects of rapamycin on ischemic damage and apoptotic changes in torsion of rat testes. Naunyn-Schmiedeberg's Arch Pharmacol 394, 85–94 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00210-020-01965-4

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