Effects of alpha lipoic acid administration on ovarian histopathology, IL-18, IL-1beta levels and mrna expressions in polycystic ovary syndrome model.

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is the most common cause of infertility in women. Although its pathogenesis is not fully understood, inflammation has been shown to play a role in the development of the disease. Our study aimed to investigate the effect of ALA administration on IL-1beta, IL-18 levels, and histological changes in ovarian tissue in rats with experimentally induced PCOS We used 32 female Wistar Albino rats divided into four groups: K, ALA, PCOS, and PCOS-ALA, with equal numbers in each group. Rats in the PCOS and PCOS-ALA groups were orally administered letrozole at a dose of 1mg/kg in a 1% CMC solution at a volume of 2 ml/kg via oral gavage for 21 days, starting from the day the experiment began. Simultaneously, rats in the K and ALA groups were given an equal volume of 1% CMC via oral gavage. Subsequently, rats in the ALA and PCOS-ALA groups were intraperitoneally administered ALA at a dose of 100 mg/kg for 4 weeks, while rats in the K and PCOS groups were intraperitoneally administered physiological saline for the same duration. Cytokine levels and expressions in ovarian tissue were evaluated. IL-1beta, IL-18, TAS, and TOS levels were measured in serum. In the PCOS group, IL-1beta and IL-18 mRNA expressions in ovarian tissue, as well as their levels in serum and tissue, were significantly higher compared to all other groups. Additionally, the number of cystic follicles increased, while the number of corpus luteum decreased compared to all groups. Serum OSI levels decreased with ALA treatment. We anticipate that ALA treatment may be effective in reducing inflammation observed in PCOS. However, further studies are needed to optimize dosage, frequency, and duration of treatment to achieve the best results.