Abstract

Testicular torsion (TT) is the ischaemic-reperfusion injury that occurs in the tesis. It is the twisting of the testis along the axis of the spermatic cord which is commonly seen in neonates, children and adolescents. Timely intervention is key to the salvage of the testicular tissue against irreversible damage. The aim of the study was to investigate the modulatory effect of L-carnitine on inflammatory mediators during TT. Forty-five adult male Wistar rats were used for to conduct the experimental. The rats were weighed and randomly divided into three groups comprising of fifteen each group. Five animals from each group i.e. Sham, TT and TT treated with 500mg/kg of L-carnitine were sacrificed on day twenty two (22), forty two (42) and sixty two (62) of the study respectively. At the end of the experiment, epididymis and testes were removed and Gonadosomatic indices were evaluated. Blood samples were collected from each of the animals through cardiac puncture and serum was harvested to assay for follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH) and testosterone (T4). The results obtained showed significant decrease in the epididymal body ratio for TT +L for 62 days, lack of significance for testicular body ratio and increase in T4 and FSH concentrations in the L-carnitine treated groups. In conclusion, L-carnitine was found to reduce epididymal body ratio, protect the testicular germ cells against reactive oxygen species mediated damage and caused increase in the secretion of FSH.