[doi: 10.5505/2017ichc.OP-17]
The Effect of Antioxidants to Angiogenesis on Uterine Transplantation
Tuğba Uğurlu1, Candan Özoğul1, Gülistan Sanem Sarıbaş1, Seren Gülşen Gürgen2, Seda Nur Akyol1, Bahar Kartal32Department of Histology and Embryology, School of Vocational Health Services, Celal Bayar University, Manisa, Turkey
3Department of Histology and Embryology, Kafkas University, Kars, Turkey
It is important to maintain the microvascular, cellular and functional integrity of the organ during organ transplantation. Organ preservation solutions should be able to adapt to ischemia-reperfusion injury, reduce cellular damage and inflammation and maintain graft function. HTK (Histidine-Tryptophan-Ketoglutarate) is a widely used preservation solution for static cold storage in organ transplantation, especially with the consideration of lower price and more easy handling aspects. Acetyl L-carnitine acts as an antioxidant, protects against free radicals and prevents mitochondrial damage.
The aim of this study is to investigate the immunohistochemical expression of VEGFR-2 in donor uterus that was stored in HTK and HTK solution combined with Acetyl L-carnitine at different cold storage periods.
We used 24 female rats equally divided into four groups: group 1 had the uterus stored in HTK solution at +4 °C cold storage for 4 hours (h). Group 2, the uterine tissue was stored in HTK solution combined with Acetyl L-carnitine (10-8 M) for 4h at +4 °C. The same procedure with group 1 and 2 were repeated for 24h for groups 3 and 4 respectively. Histological investigation and immunohistochemical analysis were performed.
Histological findings showed that to store donor uterus in HTK solution at +4 ° C for 24h results in histological alteration in uterus. In this group, the epithelial-basal membrane integrity was destroyed. Epithelial cells were separated from the basal membrane and desquamated, cellular debris were observed in the lumen of uterus. In group 4, we observed normal histological structures in all three layers of uterus. We also found that immunoreactivity of VEGFR-2 in all layers of uterus from group 2 was lower than group 1 and these expression in the uterus of group 4 was lower than group 3.
We can concluded antioxidant Acetyl L-carnitine that added to the organ preservation solution HTK, has prevented the formation of free radicals, thus protect the uterus that was stored in short and long cold storage periods.
Figure 1
)
Histologic examination of all the groups. Normal microscopic appearance of the uterus in group 1 (a), group 2 (b) and group 4 (d). In group 3, the epithelial-basal membrane integrity was destroyed (black arrows) and cellular debris in the lumen of uterus (asterisk) (c). (H&E)
Figure 2
)
VEGFR-2 immunostaining of the uterus in group 1 (a), group 2 (b), group 3 (c) and group 4 (d). (DAB, Haematoxylin)
Table1
)
Immunohistochemical descriptive data of the all groups. Statistically significant is indicated by bold characters, p<0,05. * Kruskal-Wallis and post-hoc analysis