371 Nurettin AYDİLEK 1 Mehmet Osman ATLI 2 Hayrettin ÇETİN 3 Aydın GÜZELOĞLU 2 Hüdai İPEK 1 1 Harran Üniversitesi Veteriner Fakültesi Fizyoloji Anabilim Dalı Şanlıurfa-TÜRKİYE 2 Selçuk Üniversitesi Veteriner Fakültesi Doğum ve Jinekoloji Anabilim Dalı Konya-TÜRKİYE 3 Adnan Menderes Üniversitesi Veteriner Fakültesi Doğum ve Jinekoloji Anabilim Dalı Aydın-TÜRKİYE Geliş Tarihi : 16.10.2006 Kabul Tarihi : 01.12.2006 Oxidant/Antioxidant Status of Plasma in Arabian Mares with Uterine Lymphatic Cysts* Uterine cysts are one of important contributing factor to subfertility in the mare. There are no data concerning blood oxidant and antioxidant status in mares with lymphatic uterine cysts. Therefore, this study was conducted to investigate plasma oxidant (malondialdehyde [MDA]) and antioxidant (glutathione [GSH], ß-carotene, vitamin E, glutathione peroxidase [GSH-Px], catalase [CAT]) status in mares with uterine cysts. For this purpose, blood samples were collected from 10 mares with uterine lymphatic cyst and 8 healthy Arabian mares. The age of the mares varied from 15 to 20 years. There were no significant differences in the concentrations of vitamin E, GSH, MDA and activity of CAT and GSH-Px between groups. However, the concentration of plasma ß-carotene in the mares with uterine cyst was significantly lower (P<0.01) than in the healthy mares. These results suggested that lower ß-carotene concentration may be one of factors which play role in the pathogenesis of uterine lymphatic cyst. Key words: Antioxidant, Mares, Beta carotene, Lipid Peroxidation, Uterine Cyst Lenfatik Uterus Kistli Arap Kısraklarında Plazma Oxidan-Antioxidant Değerleri Uterus kistleri kısraklarda fertilite kaybına neden olan önemli faktörlerden biridir. Lenfatik uterus kisti olan kısraklardaki plazma oksidan-antioksidan dengesini inceleyen bir araştırmaya rastlanmamıştır. Bu çalışmada, lenfatik uterus kisti bulunan kısraklarda plazma oksidan (malondialdehit [MDA]) ve antioksidan (glutatyon [GSH], ß-karoten, E vitamini konsantrasyonları ile glutatyon peroksidaz [GSH-Px] ve katalaz aktiviteleri) dengesi araştırıldı. Bu amaçla, yaşları 15-20 arasında değişen 10 uterus lenfatik kistli ve 8 sağlıklı Arap kısrağından kan örnekleri toplandı. E vitamini, ß-karoten, GSH ve MDA konsantrasyonlarında gruplar arasında önemli bir farklılık gözlenmedi. Lenfatik uterus kistli kısraklardaki plazma beta-karoten seviyesinin ise sağlıklı kısraklarınkinden düşük olduğu tespit edildi (P<0.01). Bu sonuçlar, düşük ß-karoten seviyelerinin uterus lenfatik kist patogenezinde rol alabileceğini düşündürmektedir. Anahtar Kelimeler: Antioksidan, Kısrak, Beta Karoten, Lipit Peroksidasyon, Uterus Kisti Introduction Reproductive performance is considered to be one of the most important economic factors influencing productivity in modern equine breeding. Uterine cysts are a common form of uterine lesion, and probably an important reason for low pregnancy rates (1). The cysts are fluid-filled structures that can occur anywhere in the normal or chronically inflamed endometrium. Cysts are characterized as either glandular or lymphatic. Lymphatic cysts arise from obstructed lymphatic channels and appear more commonly in multiparous mares with uterus that have undergone fibrotic changes associated with mixed endometrial disorders (2). The incidence of cysts increases with age and most affected mares are >10 years. The incidence of endometrial cysts in subfertile and older mares has been reported to be 55% (3). Cysts may affect vesicle fixation, conceptus mobility, and placentation. Improper implantation adjoining a cyst can result in inadequate blood flow and nutrient provision for the conceptus, leading to early embryonic loss. Multiple or large cysts may reduce placental exchange leading to inadequate placentation and potentially abortion (4). This suggests that the presence of uterine cysts may play an important role in the reduction of fertility of mares. Reactive oxygen species (ROS), which are produced as by products of normal metabolism, are capable of causing cellular damage, leading to cell death, and tissue injury. In organisms, extensive ARAŞTIRMA 2006: 20, (5): 371 - 374 http://www.fusabil.org Yazışma Adresi Nurettin AYDİLEK Harran Üniversitesi Veteriner Fakültesi Fizyoloji Anabilim Dalı 63100 Şanlıurfa-TÜRKİYE naydilek@hotmail.com * A summary of this study was presented in Proceedings of the Ninth International Symposium on Equine Reproduction on 7-11 August 2006 in Kerkrade, The Netherlands.