Background: The basic pathophysiologic phenomenon in testicular torsion, a common urologic emergency, is ischemia followed by reperfusion. In this study, we evaluated the effect(s) of simvastatin (SIM), a lipid lowering agent with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, on mouse epididymal sperm fertilizing potential and the subsequent in vitro embryo development in experimentally-induced unilateral testicular ischemia-reperfusion (IR).

Methods: Adult male mice were divided into four groups (n = 6, each). Following anaesthesia, IR was induced by clamping the left testicular vessels with an atraumatic microvascular clamp for 30 minutes in the IR group. In IR+SIM group, in addition, the mice received SIM (20 mg/kg per day) orally for 3 days starting from the day of induction of the experimental IR. A vehicle-treated control group and a SIM-only treated group were also included. Ipsilateral and contralateral epididymal sperms fertilizing capacity was analyzed in four groups after 35 days.

Results: Significant reduction in fertilization as well as blastulation rates were observed in the IR group. However, the SIM treatment considerably attenuated the IR-induced negative alterations in the above-mentioned parameters.

Conclusion: These findings revealed the repro-protective effects of SIM on the murine model of IR through the inhibition of oxidative injuries and inflammatory reactions.