Abstract:
Objective: Myocardial ischemia and reperfusion (MI-R) leads to remote organ injury associated with oxidative
stress. Melatonin is a well-known antioxidant and free-radical scavenger. This study was conducted to examine
whether MI-R causes damage in the testes and sperm quality, and to investigate the possible protective effect of
exogenous melatonin on these parameters in an in vivo rat model.
Design: Experimental study.
Setting: Experimental Research Center, Fırat University Medical School, Elazıg˘, Turkey.
Patient(s): Eight-week-old male Wistar rats (n 18).
Intervention(s): To produce MI-R, a branch of the descending left coronary artery was occluded for 30 minutes,
followed by 120-minute reperfusion. Melatonin (10 mg/kg) or vehicle was given 10 minutes before ischemia via
the jugular vein.
Main Outcome Measure(s): Reproductive organ weights and epididymal sperm concentration, sperm motility,
abnormal sperm rate, and testicular-tissue malondialdehyde (MDA) and glutathione (GSH) levels were examined
after reperfusion.
Result(s): MI-R significantly decreased epididymal sperm motility, and increased the testes-tissue level of MDA,
compared to the control group. Administration of melatonin reversed the harmful effects of MI-R significantly.
However, MI-R did not change sperm concentration, GSH levels, and reproductive organ weights.
Conclusion(s): These findings indicate that MI-R leads to damage of testis tissue and sperm motility, and
melatonin protects against MI-R-induced reproductive-organ injury. These results may also encourage the use of
antioxidants to reduce remote organ injury in the testis after MI-R.
