The Effect of Ligation of the Ovarian Artery on Ovarian Follicular Function in Rats

Abstract

In the present study was performed to evaluate the follicular growth and hormonal changes after ovarian artery ligation in rats. Fifty six virgin 90-day–old female rats were used. The rats were chosen from 100 female rats by a vaginal smear, which showed that they were synchronized in estrous phase of the menstrual cycle. Animals were kept in seven cages (n=8 in each) at a temperature of 22 ± 2°C and 12/12 hr light/dark conditions. The rats were divided into a treatment and control groups. On days 8, 14, 21, 30 and 60, after ligation of the right ovarian artery by laparotomy, nine rats were sacrificed for each test group on mentioned days and both ovaries were collected from each rat. Histological studies were the carried out on the ovaries. The ovaries on the ligated side had a significantly lower rate of ovulations (p?0.01) than the ovaries in the control group on the intact side. The right-sided ovary had small pea–sized follicles, which indicated polycystic ovarian syndrome, but no polycystic follicles were observed on the intact side and in the control group ovaries. There were no corpora lutea or corpora albicantia within the ovary subjected to ovarian artery ligation, which indicated that there had not been any recent ovulation. Furthermore, there was a greater degree of atresia in the ligated ovary than the control group. However, no abnormalities were detected in the left ovaries of the experimental group. Blood sampling was performed directly from the heart for hormonal analyses on days 5, 10, 20, 30, 40, 50 and 60 after ovarian artery ligation. In the experimental group, the serum analyses showed a significant (p<0.01) increase in the levels of estrogen and luteinizing hormone (LH), while the levels of progesterone and follicular stimulating hormone (FSH) decreased by the time in serum of the test group. Glucose levels were measured and found to be increased, as is seen in polycystic ovarian syndrome, which suggested the presence of insulin resistance.