Protective effects of glutathione administration on ischemia-reperfusion injury in rat ovaries

We aimed to examine the biochemical and histopathological potential beneficial effects of glutathione administration on the ovarian ischemia/reperfusion injury (IRI) model. Thirty Wistar Albino female rats were used in this experimental study and were divided into five groups. Group 1 (sham) underwent observational laparotomy. Group 2 (torsion) had their left ovaries torsioned. Group 3 (torsion + detorsion) was detorsioned after torsion. Groups 4 and 5 received the same procedure as group 3. 0,2 ml glutathione was applied to the left ovaries of group 4 (torsion + detorsion + intraovarian glutathione injection) after detorsion. Group 5 (torsion + detorsion + intraperitoneal glutathione injection) was administered 1 ml glutathione intraperitoneally five times. Fifteenth-day blood samples were taken to examine total antioxidant status, total oxidant status, oxidative stress index, anti-mullerian hormone (AMH), and malondialdehyde (MDA) values. Besides, the left ovaries were resected for histopathological examination. Total antioxidant status was significantly higher in the intraperitoneal injection group (p<0.05). The AMH values of the sham and intraovarian groups were similar (p>0.05). MDA value did not differ significantly between the sham, intraovarian, and intraperitoneal injection groups (p>0.05). In histopathological examination, no significant benefit of glutathione application on follicle numbers was shown. The main limitations of our study were the relatively small size of our series, the absence of serial blood measurement, the absence of a group in which intraovarian and intraperitoneal injections were administered together, and the absence of a sham + drug group. Glutathione administration reduces the detrimental effects of ovarian IRI.