Effect of bilateral uterine artery ligation on follicular atresia in ovaries of mature female rabbits; histomorphometric and histochemical study

Background: Nowadays it is proofed that the uterine artery plays essential role in follicular growth and/or post parturition hemorrhagic.
Objective: This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of Bilateral Uterine Artery Ligation (BUAL) on follicular fate and the probable histochemical changes of the carbohydrate and lipids in the ovaries of rabbits.
Materials and Methods: 24 mature female rabbits randomized into two test and control-sham groups. Test group subdivided to three groups, based on time. Animals in the test group under went to BUAL. The ovaries were processed to histochemical and histomorphometric analyses to evaluate the ratio of lipid, carbohydrate and lipase enzyme in follicular cells.
Results: The ovaries from test groups exhibited many atretic follicles in various sizes. BUAL significantly (p≤0.05) increased the rate of atresia in the test groups in comparison to the control-sham cases. This situation was progressed by the time. In the test groups, lipid reactions were observed more remarkable in the small atretic follicles in comparison to the large atretic follicles. BUAL elevated the reaction sites for lipase enzyme in the early stages of the atresia in the test group.
Conclusion: Referring to our results, BUAL caused significant (p≤0.05) hypo-ovulation by increasing the atresia. Also increasing lipid foci in the first stages of the apoptotic process caused cytoplasmic lipase enzyme evaluation, while the lipase enzyme level was decreased by the advancement of the atresia and decreasing of the biological activities in follicular cells.

Keywords
Atresia, Carbohydrate, Lipase enzyme, Lipid foci, Ovary, Rabbit, Uterine artery.