Protective effects of carvedilol against ovarian ischemia-reperfusion injury in rats

Abstract

Ovarian torsion is a gynecological emergency that can lead to ovarian ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI). This study aimed to investigate the potential protective effects of carvedilol against ovarian IRI in rats. A total of 24 female rats were divided into four groups: control, ischemia (I), ischemia-reperfusion (IR), and ischemia-reperfusion with carvedilol treatment (IR-C). Ovarian ischemia was induced by clamping the ovarian pedicle for 4 hours, followed by reperfusion for 4 hours. The IR-C group received carvedilol treatment 30 minutes before reperfusion. After the experiment, the ovaries were removed and evaluated for hemorrhage, edema, and immunopositivity of Caspase 3, apoptosis-inducing factor (AIF), Microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3b (LC3B), and Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNFa). In the staining performed with Caspase 3 and AIF, moderate immunopositivity was observed in the I and IR groups (p<0.001), while the IR-C group showed mild immunopositivity. In the stainings performed with LC3B and TNFa, the I and IR groups exhibited severe immunopositivity (p<0.001), whereas in the IR-C group, TNFa showed moderate immunopositivity (p<0.001), and LC3B showed mild immunopositivity (p<0.001). The results suggest that carvedilol may have protective effects against ovarian IRI in rats.