P-11: Evaluation of Heat Shock Protein A2 in Male Rats before and after Varicocele Induction

Background: Varicocele is a major cause of male infertility, as it may impair spermatogenesis through several distinct pathophysiological mechanisms including hypoxia, renal-adrenal reflux, hormonal dysfunction, autoimmunity, oxidative stress and hyperthermia. HSP70s are members of the heat shock protein (HSP) family, which are considered intracellular chaperones. Their expressions can increase when cells are exposed to metabolic and/or heat stress. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of varicocele induction on the heat shock protein A2 (HSPA2) expression in rat’s model. Materials and Methods: Twenty Wistar male rats divided into two groups including; left varicocele and control group. Two month after the operation, all animals were killed and both testicles were harvested, weighed and sperm cells were collected from caudal left epididymis. Evaluation of HSPA2 expression was assessed by Western blot technique. Results: Using specific antibodies and western blot analyses, we demonstrated that the expression of HSPA2 in left testis was significantly higher than right testis of varicocele-induced rats and also this parameter was insignificantly higher in testis of varicocele-induced rats compared to control (p>0.05). In addition, expression of HSPA2 was significantly higher in left caudal epididymis sperms compared to right caudal epididymis sperms (p<0.05). Conclusion: The result of this study demonstrated that normal level of HSPA2 is essential for sperm maturation and function. With induction of varicocele in rat’s model, level of HSPA2 has increased that, it is as indicator of activation a compensatory mechanism against induced heat condition by varicocele.