Objective: This study aimed to investigate the effects of L-citrulline on oxidative stress and histopathological damage in ovarian ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury in rats. Material and Methods: The rats were divided into 3 groups. Group 1 served as the control group; Group 2 consisted of rats that underwent ischemia followed by reperfusion. In Group 3, L-citrulline was delivered 30 minutes before I/R. The ovary and uterine were excised for histopathological and biochemical analysis. The total thiol (TT), native thiol (NT), disulfide (SS), and the percentage of disulfide to reactive thiol (SS/-SH) were measured from blood to assess the antioxidant capacity of L-citrulline. Hematoxylin and eosin staining was used for histopathological scoring of ischemic damage in the ovaries. Results: TT levels exhibited no significant differences among the groups; NT values were comparable in the sham and I/R+L-Citrulline groups, although significantly reduced in the I/R group relative to the other groups. The SS and SS/SH levels were markedly reduced in the sham group compared to the other groups. Estradiol concentrations were markedly elevated in the sham group compared to the ischemic group. The evaluation of the post-ischemia groups in terms of oxidative stress demonstrated no significant differences in TT, NT, SS, SS/-SH, and estradiol levels between the I/R group and the L-citrulline therapy group. Histopathological examination showed that follicular degeneration, cellular vacuolization, intercellular edema, vascular congestion and hemorrhage were significantly reduced in the L-citrulline group compared with the ischemia group, but inflammation was not. Conclusion: Administering L-citrulline reduces histopathological damage in the ovarian tissue but does not reduce oxidative stress radicals.
ŞAFAK et al. (Wed,) studied this question.