title: [Ischemic postconditioning reduces testis ischemia-reperfusion injury in rabbits].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the protective effect of ischemic postconditioning (IP) against different degrees of testicular ischemia-reperfusion (IR) injury in rabbits.
  
  
  METHODS
  Forty-two white male rabbits were equally randomized into 7 groups: a control, 3 IR (R1, R2 and R3), and 3 IP (P1, P2 and P3) groups. Testicular models of different degrees of ischemia were established in the IR and IP groups. Before reperfusion, ultrasonography showed homogeneous echoes with slightly decreased blood flow in R1 and P1, heterogeneous echoes with obviously decreased blood flow in R2 and P2, lamellar or fragmental low echo areas absent of blood flow signals in R3 and P3. Then the IR groups were directly subjected to perfusion, and the IP groups to 3 episodes of 30-second reperfusion followed by 30-second ischemia. All the groups underwent contrast-enhanced ultrasonography (CEUS) before reperfusion and, after 3 days, examined for the contents of malonaldehyde (MDA), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and histology, and observed for the pathological changes of the testicular tissue.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Before reperfusion, no significant differences were found in the CEUS parameters beta, time-to- peak (TTP), peak-base intensity (PBD) and half of declining time (DT/2) between R1 and P1, R2 and P2, and R3 and P3 (P>0.05). There were remarkable differences in MDA and SOD between R1 and P1, and R2 and P2 (P<0.05), but not between R3 and P3 (P >0.05). Johnson's score, apoptosis index and ultrastructure showed marked differences between R1 and P1 (P<0.05) but not between R2 and P2, and R3 and P3 (P >0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  IP can attenuate IR-induced testis injury, but the effect varies with the degree of ischemia, and its pathological manifestation differs from the biochemical one.
authors.affiliation: Fujian Provincial Institute of Ultrasonic Medicine/Department of Ultrasound, Union Hospital of Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, Fujian 350001, China.
authors.forename: Yu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: En-sheng
authors.initials: ES
authors.lastname: Xue
authors.forename: Li-wu
authors.initials: LW
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Shun
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Rong-xi
authors.initials: RX
authors.lastname: Liang
authors.forename: Li-yun
authors.initials: LY
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.forename: Li-jun
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Xie
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D057775:Ischemic Postconditioning; D008297:Male; D008315:Malondialdehyde / Q000032:analysis; D011817:Rabbits; D015427:Reperfusion Injury; D013482:Superoxide Dismutase / Q000032:analysis; D013737:Testis / Q000473:pathology*
chemical_list: D008315:Malondialdehyde; D013482:Superoxide Dismutase