Preventive Effects of Ginkgo biloba Extract on Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury in Rat Bladder

Aims: The aim of this experimental study was to evaluate the effects of Ginkgo biloba (EGb 761) on ischemia-reperfusion (I-R) injury in the rat bladder. Methods: A bladder I-R injury was induced by abdominal aorta occlusion by ischemia for 30 min, followed by 45 min reperfusion in rats. The rats were divided into four groups of 7 rats each; the control, I-R, and I-R groups were pretreated intraperitoneally with 50 or 100 mg/kg G. biloba 60 min before ischemia induction. Contractile responses to carbachol through isolated organ bath studies were recorded, histological sections were evaluated by light microscopy, and TUNEL staining was performed for the evaluation of apoptosis. Results: In the I-R group, the contractile responses of the bladder strips were lower than those of the control group (p < 0.01–0.001) and were restored by pretreatment with 100 mg/kg G. biloba (p < 0.05–0.001). Decreased polymorphonuclear leukocyte infiltration was detected in the G. biloba pretreatment groups when compared to the I-R group during histological evaluation. The ratio of TUNEL-positive nuclei was 1.84% in the I-R group, whereas it was decreased in both of the G. biloba pretreatment groups (p < 0.01, p < 0.01). Conclusion: Our data indicated that G. biloba has a preventive effect on I-R injury in rat urinary bladder.