Morphologic Changes Induced by Short‐term Ischemia in the Rat Testis Are Not Affected by Treatment with Superoxide Dismutase and Catalase

Short-term testicular ischemia was induced unilaterally by ligating the testicular artery for 60 or 100 minutes in adult rats. After 7 days, the rats were fixed by vascular perfusion. The effect of ischemia and reperfusion was quantified using morphometric techniques. Occlusion of the testicular artery for 60 and 100 minutes resulted in a mild and moderate damage, respectively, to the seminiferous tubules. The contralateral control testis was not affected. To study the role of oxygen radicals in ischemia-reperfusion-induced testicular damage, rats were treated with superoxide dismutase and catalase. These radical scavengers did not influence the extent of testicular damage.