Histopathological Evaluation of the Effects of Dexmedetomidine against Pituitary Damage Induced by X-ray Irradiation.

Background: The present study, aimed to investigate the potential negative effects of x-ray radiation and the effects of the α2-adrenergic receptor agonist dexmedetomidine on the pituitary gland. Methods: Twenty-four Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into three groups: Rats in Group 1 (control group). Group 2 (X-ray irradiation) and group 3 (X-ray irradiation + Dexmedetomidine) were given a total of 10 Gy external beam total body irradiation. Group 3 was given a single intraperitoneal dose of 200 µg/kg dexmedetomidine 30 minutes before RT. Results: In sections obtained from the x-ray irradiation group, we observed many necrotic in adenohypophysis and neurohypophysis. In addition, there were extensive edematous areas and vascular congestions due to the necrotic cells in both the adenohypophysis and neurohypophysis. In contrast, we observed a reduction in necrotic chromophobic and chromophilic cells in adenohypophyseal tissue and a reduction in necrotic pituicytes in neurohypophyseal tissue in the dexmedetomidine treatment group. In addition, we determined lower caspase-3 and TUNEL expression in the dexmedetomidine treatment group compared with the x-ray irradiation group. Dexmedetomidine reduced x-ray radiation-induced pituitary damage by preventing apoptosis. Conclusions: The present study demonstrated the use of dexmedetomidine in situations related to radiation toxicity and offers the potential for a comprehensive study.