High osmolar contrast medium causes mild oxidation in liver, bladder, and ovary tissues from rats: vitamin C has protective role

The purpose of this study was to investigate effects of ionic high-osmolar contrast medium on oxidative metabolism in liver, urinary bladder, and ovary tissues and to obtain information about possible protective effects of vitamin C. Twenty-one female rats, 14 weeks old, were used in this study. They were divided into three groups of seven rats: Sham (group I), contrast (group II), contrast + vitamin C (group III). Vitamin C was given orally to the animals in group III during the study period. On the fifth day, contrast medium was given via intravenous infusion as a single dose to the animals in groups II and III. On the sixth day of the study, the animals were killed with anesthesia by ketamine hydrochloride. Then, their liver, bladder, and ovary tissues were removed to measure analyses parameters. Our results suggested that contrast medium led to some increases in malondialdehyde levels in the liver, bladder, and ovary tissues and that vitamin C prevented these increases in the tissues. Nitric oxide level also was found to increase in the contrast-treated animals and vitamin C prevented this increase in the liver tissue. Ionic high-osmolar contrast medium leads to weak oxidant stress in rat liver, bladder, and ovary tissues, and vitamin C prevents this oxidant stress.