Protective effect of astaxanthin and metformin in the liver of rats in which the polycystic ovary syndrome model was formed by giving letrozole

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 9 groups: Groups: Control, PCOS, PCOS+Metformin (Met), PCOS+ Astaxanthin (ASX)10, PCOS+ASX20, PCOS+ASX40, PCOS+Met+ASX10, PCOS+Met+ASX20, and PCOS+Met+ASX40. PCOS was induced in female rats by oral administration of letrozole (1 mg/kg) for 21 days. Rats were treated with ASX (10 mg/kg), ASX (20 mg/kg), ASX (40 mg/kg), and metformin (20 mg/kg) for 7 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 3 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 3 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. © 2023 Mashhad University of Medical Sciences. All rights reserved.