Protective effects of telmisartan on ischemia/reperfusion injury of rat ovary: biochemical and histopathologic evaluation

ObjectiveTo evaluate the effects of telmisartan as an antioxidant and for its tissue protective properties and to study the biochemical and histopathologic changes in experimental ischemia and ischemia/reperfusion injuries in rat ovaries.DesignExperimental study.SettingExperimental surgery laboratory in a university department.Animal(s)Forty-eight female adult rats.Intervention(s)I: sham operation; II: bilateral ovarian ischemia; III: 3 h ischemia + 3 h reperfusion. IV and V: Rats were administered 10 and 20 mg/kg doses of telmisartan, respectively, before 0.5 h of ischemia, and then ovarian ischemia was applied; after 3 h of ischemia, the ovaries were removed. VI and VII: 3 h ovarian ischemia was applied; 2.5 h after the induction of ischemia, rats were administered the same doses of telmisartan; at the end of 3 h of ischemia, the ovaries were removed and a 3 h reperfusion followed.Main Outcome Measure(s)Superoxide dismutase, inducible nitric oxide synthase, and myeloperoxidase activity in rat ovarian tissue; and histopathologic changes in the ovarian tissue of the rats.Result(s)Ischemia and ischemia-reperfusion increased the inducible nitric oxide synthase and myeloperoxidase activity while decreasing the super oxide dismutase activity significantly in comparison with the sham group. Before ischemia and ischemia/reperfusion, telmisartan reversed the trend in inducible nitric oxide synthase activities and the level of myeloperoxidase.Conclusion(s)telmisartan is effective in reversing tissue damage induced by ischemia/reperfusion in ovaries.