Investigation of Apoptotic Effect of Propofol, Dexmedetomidine and Medetomidine on Oocyte Cumulus Granulosa Cells in Rats

Objective: We aimed to evaluate the potential apoptotic effects of propofol, dexmedetomidine and medetomidine that were used during oocyte retrieval on cumulus cells in rat ovulation induction model. Methods: After the ovulation induction model was created, rats were received dexmedetomidine in Group D, propofol in Group P, medetomidine in Group M. Oocytes collection was performed 10 minutes after the administration of study drugs. For Caspase-3 immunohistochemical evaluation, the staining level was scored in five randomly selected areas and the areas with the highest score were determined. Immunohistochemical staining scoring for each section was performed using a scoring algorithm called H-score. Results: Caspase-3 expression in cumulus cells was found to be lowest in Group D and highest in Group P. The mean caspase-3 H-score was lower in Group D than that of Group P and M (p<0.001), and in Group M than that of Group P (p<0.001). Conclusion: Our results demonstrate that dexmedetomidine and medetomidine exhibit less apoptotic effects in terms of caspase-3 activity in oocyte cumulus cells than propofol in a rat ovulation induction model. Keywords: Apoptosis, cumulus cells, dexmedetomidine, medetomidine, propofol, oocyte retrieval