Korean J Urol.  2010 Nov;51(11):794-799.

Effect of Korean Red Ginseng on Testicular Tissue Injury after Torsion and Detorsion

• Kim YH
• Kim GH
• Shin JH
• Kim KS
• Lim JS

Abstract

PURPOSE
Korean red ginseng (KRG) is a potent antioxidant and a free radical scavenger. This study was designed to determine whether KRG could protect against dysfunction and oxidative stress induced by torsion-detorsion injury in rat testis.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Six-week-old male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into four groups: a sham-operated control group (C), a sham-operated and KRG-treated group (K), a 2 hours torsion and detorsion group (T), and a 2 hours torsion and detorsion and KRG-treated group (T+K). We measured testis weight and hormone levels and reactive oxygen species (ROS) from the left renal vein. Superoxide generation was measured on the basis of lucigenin-enhanced chemiluminescence in testis tissue.
RESULTS
Testicular weight was significantly higher in the T+K group than in the T group; however, there were no significant differences in hormone levels between the 4 groups. The mean level of ROS and superoxide production was significantly higher in the T group than in the C group, whereas administration of KRG attenuated this increase. Upon histologic evaluation, the T group was found to have cellular disarray, a lack of cellular cohesiveness, degenerative changes in the germinal cells, and less distinct changes in the seminiferous tubules, whereas the T+K group had a germinal epithelial layer that appeared nearly normal.
CONCLUSIONS
The present study demonstrated that KRG recovered the testis dysfunction in the rat testis by suppressing superoxide production.

Keyword

Ginseng; Oxidative stress; Testicular torsion

MeSH Terms

Animals
Humans
Luminescence
Male
Oxidative Stress
Panax
Rats
Rats, Sprague-Dawley
Reactive Oxygen Species
Renal Veins
Seminiferous Tubules
Spermatic Cord Torsion
Superoxides
Testis
Reactive Oxygen Species
Superoxides

Figure

• 

  FIG. 1 Weight of the testis. C: a sham-operated group, K: a sham-operated and KRG-treated group, T: a 2 hours torsion and detorsion group, T+K: a 2 hours torsion and detorsion and KRG-treated group.

• 

  FIG. 2 Representative microphotographs of cross-sections of the seminiferous tubules from SD rats. (A: group C, B: group K, C: group T, D: group T+K) (H&E, ×400). C: a sham-operated group, K: a sham-operated and KRG-treated group, T: a 2 hours torsion and detorsion group, T+K: a 2 hours torsion and detorsion and KRG-treated group.

• 

  FIG. 3 Lucigenin-enhanced chemiluminescence, reflective of testis superoxide levels. Luminescence was recorded in the absence or presence of NADPH (100 µmol/l). C: a sham-operated group, K: a sham-operated and KRG-treated group, T: a 2 hours torsion and detorsion group, T+K: a 2 hours torsion and detorsion and KRG-treated group.

• 

  FIG. 4 Results of oxidative stress markers: free oxygen radical test (FORT). C: a sham-operated group, K: a sham-operated and KRG-treated group, T: a 2 hours torsion and detorsion group, T+K: a 2 hours torsion and detorsion and KRG-treated group.

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