Introduction: Ovarian torsion is an emergency condition that occurs when the adnexa undergoes complete or partial rotation. Following ovarian torsion, damage caused by ischemia/reperfusion can impact fertility and sex hormone secretion. Our study aims to investigate the role of safranal in preventing ovarian ischemia-reperfusion injury in rats.
Methods: Animal subgroups included: sham, ovarian torsion/detorsion (OT), ovarian torsion/detorsion with the treatment of safranal (OTS 0.1, 0.5), and safranal group (OS 0.1, 0.5). Ovarian torsion was induced in the left ovary of rats for 2 hours. Intraperitoneal treatment with safranal at 0.1 and 0.5 mg/kg doses was performed 30 minutes before the detorsion operation. 48 h after detorsion, ovarian tissue was collected to evaluate the histopathological scores and apoptosis gene expression of Bcl-2, caspase 3, and Bax. Blood samples were collected to measure plasma estradiol levels and oxidative stress parameters.
Results: Analyses demonstrated that ovarian follicular damage was accompanied by increased serum malondialdehyde (MDA) levels and increased expression of Bcl2 and caspase-3 genes. Additionally, serum levels of glutathione peroxidase (GPX), estrogen, and superoxide dismutase (SOD) decreased in the OT group. However, treatment with safranal 0.5 mg/kg was accompanied by an improvement in the histopathological score of the ovarian tissue and a reduction in apoptosis and oxidative stress.
Conclusion: Safranal exhibits antioxidant properties in a rat model of ovarian torsion and could be considered a cost-effective therapeutic option for ovarian detorsion in gynecological clinics.