Tugba Tastan - Department of Histology and Embryology, Faculty of Medicine, Erzincan Binali Yıldırım University, Erzincan, Turkey
Nurhan Akaras - Department of Histology and Embryology, Faculty of Medicine, Aksaray University, Aksaray, Turkey
Özlem Demir - Department of Histology and Embryology, Faculty of Medicine, Erzincan Binali Yıldırım University, Erzincan, Turkey
Rustem Anil Ugan - Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Ataturk University, Erzurum, Turkey

Objective(s): In this study, the effects of astaxanthin on liver tissue in rats with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) were evaluated.Materials and Methods: Fifty-four Spraque-Dawley rats were divided into ۹ groups: Groups: Control, PCOS, PCOS+Metformin (Met), PCOS+ Astaxanthin (ASX)۱۰, PCOS+ASX۲۰, PCOS+ASX۴۰, PCOS+Met+ASX۱۰, PCOS+Met+ASX۲۰, and PCOS+Met+ASX۴۰. PCOS was induced in female rats by oral administration of letrozole (۱ mg/kg) for ۲۱ days. Rats were treated with ASX (۱۰ mg/kg), ASX (۲۰ mg/kg), ASX (۴۰ mg/kg), and metformin (۲۰ mg/kg) for ۷ days after PCOS induction. At the end of the experiment, malondialdehyde (MDA) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) levels were measured in the liver tissue. The liver was stained with hematoxylin/eosin for histological examination. Additionally, NF-kB and caspase ۳ were analyzed immunohistochemically.Results: A remarkable abnormality was observed in the biochemical and histological parameters in the liver tissue of the PCOS model rats. Astaxanthin dose-dependently normalized the MDA level. Additionally, astaxanthin showed a protective effect by increasing the SOD level and increasing its antioxidant activities. We observed that administration of astaxanthin in addition to metformin applied in the standard was more effective. Caspase ۳ and NF-kB immune positivity was lower in the groups given astaxanthin compared with PCOS. Histologically, it was observed that astaxanthin improved the deteriorated liver morphology in the letrozole-induced PCOS group.Conclusion: According to our results, it was observed that astaxanthin had antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-apoptotic effects on PCOS in the treatment groups. Therefore, it was concluded that astaxanthin may have a protective effect against PCOS side effects.

Astaxanthine, Liver, Metformin, Oxidative stress, Polycystic ovary syndrome, Rat