Aim: Although little is known about the mechanisms, varicocele is considered as one of the factors leading to male infertility. Since reduced motility of the vas deferens was shown to contribute to male infertility, in this study we aimed to investigate the effect of varicocele on electrical field stimulation (EFS)-induced biphasic contractions of the vas deferens in order to evaluate the effect of varicocele on the motility of the vas deferens. Material and Methods: A total of 26 Sprague-Dawley rats (200–250 g) were assigned randomly into two groups: sham (n = 10) and varicocele (n = 16). Varicocele was produced by partial obstruction of the left renal vein. Four weeks after the surgical procedure, vasa deferentia were harvested and EFS-induced responses were recorded from the strips prepared from ipsilateral and contralateral sides via Grass isometric force displacement transducers. Exogenous α-β methyl ATP was applied at the concentration of 10–5M to the vasa deferentia strips, and exogenous noradrenalin was applied cumulatively at the concentrations between 10–7 and 10–4M. At the end of each experiment, 80 mM KCl was applied to induce contractions. All contractions were expressed as the percentage of the 80 mM KCl-induced contractions. Results: Varicocele significantly inhibited both phases of EFS-induced biphasic contractions in the ipsilateral side, whereas in the contralateral site it did not produce any change. However, there was no change in exogenously applied α-β methyl ATP, noradrenalin and KCl-evoked contractions of the vasa deferentia obtained from both sides. Conclusions: These results suggest that varicocele affects the ipsilateral vas deferens motility by reducing neurotransmitter release.

Keywords:
Vas deferens, Male infertility, Varicocele
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© 2007 S. Karger AG, Basel
2007
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