Protective Effect of Oxytocin on Ovarian Histopathology at Septic Rat Model

INTRODUCTION: Sepsis is the body’s response to infections, and it is associated with high morbidity and mortality rates. This study aimed to examine the histopathological changes in rats with an intra-ab-dominal abscess model after oxytocin administration and to investigate oxytocin’s potential protective effects.
METHODS: A total of 21 Wistar Albino rats were randomly divided into three groups, with seven in each group. The sepsis group was created after cecal-ligation-perforation. The first group consisted of normal healthy rats, the second group of septic rats, and the third group of septic rats administered oxytocin. The ovaries of the rats were then surgically removed and examined histopathologically.
RESULTS: The study evaluated normal ovarian tissue (Group 1), ovarian tissue with sepsis (Group 2), and ovarian tissue treated with oxytocin (Group 3) for endothelial damage (wall thickening, fibrin deposition, and swelling), vacuolization, cellular debris, proteinous material deposition, and neutro-phil infiltration. Statistically significant differences were observed in endothelial damage (p=0.001), vacuolization (p=0.005), cellular debris (p=0.030), proteinous material deposition (p=0.030), neutrophil infiltration (p=0.001), and the total score (p=0.001). Comparing Group 2 and Group 3, no statistically significant differences were found in endothelial damage (p=0.063), vacuolization (p=0.059), cellular debris (p=.102), and proteinous material deposition (p=0.102). However, significant differences were noted in neutrophil infiltration (p=0.020) and the total score (p=0.028).
DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: The study observed that in oxytocin-administered sepsis models, the cellular changes caused by the septic condition improved in the histopathological examination of the ovarian tissue, favoring the oxytocin group.