Abstract
Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of estrogen or exercise or estrogen-exercise combination on oxidant damage and histopathological and functional changes observed in kidney and liver of rats with surgical menopause.
Materials and Methods: Bilateral ovariectomy was performed on female Sprague Dawley rats (n=32) under anesthesia and all rats were randomly divided into two groups. Half of the rats were given normal drinking water, and the other half had estrogen (1mg/kg/day) added to their drinking water. Two weeks later, the groups were divided into sedentary and exercise (5 days/week, 30 minutes, 8 weeks) groups. At the end of the experimental protocol, serum, liver and kidney samples were taken for biochemical and histopathological examinations. Femur was also examined histopathologically.
Results: In ovariectomized rats, estrogen showed a protective effect by suppressing neutrophil infiltration and production of reactive oxygen species in kidney tissue, causing a slight increase in bone mass, with a decrease in hepatic antioxidant glutathione level. On the other hand, estrogen application prevented the oxidant stress in the liver due to the exercise performed in menopause. While kidney functions were not significantly affected by exercise or the addition of estrogen therapy to exercise, more favorable changes were observed in bone structure compared to estrogen alone.
Conclusion: In addition to the positive effects of estrogen replacement on bone tissue, estrogen reduces oxidant stress in the liver and kidney and shows a protective effect by suppressing the oxidant stress that develops especially in the liver due to exercise.