title: N-acetylcysteine improves morphologic and functional aspects of ovarian grafts in rats.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate morphological and functional aspects of the ovarian graft in transplanted rats treated with NAC.
  
  
  METHODS
  Female Wistar rats, virgin, 3 to 4 months old, weighing 200-250 grams were used in experiments. The rats have been kept in proper sanitary conditions, receiving food and water ad libitum. Five groups (n=10, each) were constituted: 4 groups treated subcutaneously with NAC, at doses of 150, 300, 600 and 1200 mg/kg (NAC150, NAC300, NAC600 and NAC1200, respectively), one hour of before the ovarian transplantation and control group (GTx) - treated with physiological solution and submitted to ovarian transplantation. The rats were anesthetized and submitted to autologous left ovarian transplantation, without anastomosis in retroperitoneum, and contralateral oophorectomy. During follow-up of 4 or 15 days, the estrous cycle was evaluated by vaginal smears to determine cycle regularity. At the end of 4th or 15th days, rats were re-anesthetized and blood and graft were obtained to estradiol analysis and morphological assessment. Data were analysed by One Way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) or ANOVA on ranks complemented by Student-Newman-Keuls test.
  
  
  RESULTS
  At 4th day, viable follicles in the graft did not altered by NAC treatments. The NAC300 and NAC600 groups showed increasing in follicle atresia (p=0.012) compared to GTx and NAC1200 group. At 15th day, 50% of GTx, NAC150, and NAC300 rats showed regular oestrous cycle; 83% of NAC600 and 100% of NAC1200 rats returned to regular cycle. NAC1200 group showed increasing in primordial follicle compared to GTx, NAC150 or NAC300 (p=0.011). NAC did not interfere in estradiol levels after 4 or 15 days of transplantation.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In autologous ovarian transplantation, high dose of NAC promotes graft viability with recovery of estrous cycle.
authors.affiliation: Federal University do Vale do São Francisco, São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Elivânia Marques Gomes de
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Amorim
authors.affiliation: Obstetrics and Gynecology Department, Medical School, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Luciana Lamarão
authors.initials: LL
authors.lastname: Damous
authors.affiliation: UNIFESP, São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Maria Clara Silva
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Durando
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Medicine, Federal University of Ceara, Sobral.
authors.forename: Márcia Viviane Alves
authors.initials: MV
authors.lastname: Saraiva
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Medicine, FM, USP, São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Marcia Kiyomi
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Koike
authors.affiliation: UNIFESP, São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Edna Frasson de Souza
authors.initials: EF
authors.lastname: Montero
mesh_terms: D000111:Acetylcysteine / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000818:Animals; D004958:Estradiol / Q000097:blood; D030762:Estrous Cycle / Q000187:drug effects; D005260:Female; D023421:Models, Animal; D006080:Ovarian Follicle / Q000187:drug effects; D010053:Ovary / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000187:drug effects / Q000637:transplantation*; D011897:Random Allocation; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D013997:Time Factors; D019737:Transplants / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D004958:Estradiol; D000111:Acetylcysteine