Methods: Between May 2018 and February 2019, a total of 32 male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly assigned into control, sham (ischemia-reperfusion+glycerol), ischemia-reperfusion, and ischemia-reperfusion+whortleberry groups. Hypovolemic shock was applied to the rats in the ischemia-reperfusion groups for one hour. The abdominal aorta was explored following midline laparotomy and atraumatic microvascular clamps were applied from the infrarenal level. Following one-hour ischemia, the clamps were removed, and reperfusion was established for two hours. In the sham group, intraperitoneal glycerol once daily was applied five days before surgery. In the whortleberry group, whortleberry treatment was administered via the intraperitoneal route five days before ischemia-reperfusion.

Results: The ischemia-reperfusion group exhibited a decrease in the glutathione levels and an increase in the malondialdehyde levels (p<0.01 and p<0.01, respectively). We also observed an increase in the caspase-3 positivity in cardiac myofibrils (p<0.01). Whortleberry administration lowered both malondialdehyde levels and numerical density of caspase-3 positive cardiac myofibrils, while increasing the heart tissue glutathione levels, compared to the ischemia-reperfusion alone group (p<0.01, p=0.011, and p=0.011, respectively).

Conclusion: Whortleberry may be beneficial in preventing cardiac tissue damage caused by ischemia-reperfusion in the surgical repair of ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysms.