Prenatal diclofenac sodium administration increases the number of Purkinje cells in female rats: a stereological study

Impressions of the chronic 900-MHz electromagnetic field in the prenatal period on Purkinje cells in male rat pup cerebella: is it worth mentioning?

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to examine the changes on the Purkinje cells in the cerebella of male rat pups born to pregnant dams that were exposed to an electromagnetic field in the prenatal period.

METHODS

The first stage of the study involved 12 Sprague-Dawley rats, 6 male and 6 female, weighing between 180 and 250 g. The female rats in the experimental group were exposed to a 900-MHz electromagnetic field for 1 h at the same time every day, and no procedure was performed on the control group. Following pregnancy, six male pups from each group were divided into experimental and control groups without any procedure on the pups. After 2 months, they were sacrificed and their cerebella were removed. Histopathologically, following routine processing and fixation procedures, the cerebella were embedded in the tissue blocks. The sections taken from these blocks were stained with cresyl violet. The Purkinje cells in the cerebella were then counted on sections using the optical dissector method on an image analysis system.

RESULTS

The estimation of number of the Purkinje cells in the groups revealed more cells in rats in the control group than in the experimental group. Histopathologically, Purkinje cells exhibited a normal morphological structure in the control group, while the cells in the experimental group showed damage.

CONCLUSIONS

It might be asserted that the exposure of mothers to an electromagnetic field in the prenatal period may affect the development of Purkinje cells in the pup cerebella.

The effect of maternal treatment with diclofenac sodium and thymoquinone on testicular parameters in rat offspring

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVE

Diclofenac sodium (DS) can have toxic effects on various tissues and organs, as well as causing foetal and new-born malformations. Thymoquinone (TQ), the basic bioactive compound of black seed oil, is an antioxidant and antineoplastic substance. The aim of our study was to explore the effects of DS and TQ exposure during gestation on offspring rat testicular histology.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Mother pregnant rats were divided into five groups: control, saline, DS, TQ and DS plus TQ (DS+TQ) four animals for each group. They were then treated as follows between day of 5 and 15 of gestation: the control group received no treatment. The saline group received physiological saline (1mg/kg/d) via the intraperitoneal (IP) route; the DS group received an intramuscular (IM) injection of DS (6.1mg/kg/d); the TQ group received TQ (5mg/kg/d) dissolved in drinking water; and the DS+TQ group received DS (6.1mg/kg/d) and TQ (5mg/kg/d) dissolved in water. After birth, the male rats were fed for four weeks, and at the end of this period offspring were sacrificed. Stereological methods, physical disector and Cavalieri principle were used for particle counting and volume estimation respectively.

RESULTS

The results revealed a significant decrease in the total number of Sertoli and Leydig cells in 4-week-old rats in the DS group (p<0.05), and TQ not have provide protection against this adverse effect of DS.

CONCLUSIONS

In this study, DS at a dose of 6.1mg/kg, equivalent to a dose of 1mg/kg in humans, decreased the number of Sertoli and Leydig cells, and TQ did not have a protective effect against the adverse effect of DS during the gestation period. These results show that new dose depend studies on TQ and DS interaction are requested to see protective effect of TQ.

Prenatal exposure of diclofenac sodium alters the behavioral development of young Wistar rats

Diclofenac sodium (DS), a potent inhibitor of cyclooxygenase, reduces the release of arachidonic acid and formation of prostaglandins. Being a nonsteroid drug that shows antiinflammatory action, the possible side effects of fetal DS administration gain importance in public and medical applications. Herein, the effects of DS administration (1 mg/kg) during gestational days 5–20 were investigated on the performance of Wistar rat pups in a variety of behavioral tasks. Four-week-old pups were subjected to sensory motor tests, a plus maze, an open field, the Morris water maze, and a radial arm maze. Fetal DS disrupted some sensory motor performances, such as visual placing and climbing in both females and males. In the open field, DS females had a higher level of anxiety and male DS pups habituated to the environment slowly compared to controls. The DS pups showed slower rates of learning, whereas no substantial between-group differences were found in the performance of spatial memory compared to both controls. Furthermore, working memory was negatively affected by fetal DS. In conclusion, it was indicated that DS administration during pregnancy had slight behavioral impacts with a delay in learning and a defect in the short-term memory in juvenile rats.

Peripheral nerve and diclofenac sodium: Molecular and clinical approaches

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are the most frequently prescribed medications worldwide. Diclofenac sodium (DS), one of these NSAIDs, has a high specificity for arachidonic acid-degrading cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 enzymes. This drug can be used to relieve neuropathic pain. In this review, we examine the relevant researches, including in vivo, animal, and clinical human studies, with the aim of understanding the effect of DS on the peripheral nerves. In injured nerves, COX-2 is potently upregulated around the injury site. When a nerve is damaged, both COX-1 and COX-2 expression is increased in macrophages and Schwann cells. In addition, COX inhibitors can promote axonal outgrowth in cultured neurons. Neuropathic pain occurs after injury and leads to dysfunction of the peripheral nervous system. NSAIDs can modulate the nociceptive and inflammatory pain pathways and control neuropathic pain. DS may accelerate nerve regeneration and its effects on healing, as well as causing deleterious effects in the developing nerves. DS teratogenicity disrupts myelin sheath thickness and axon structure. Understanding the possible benefits and limitations of DS and specific conditions such as prenatal use will be of benefit in clinical practice.

The neuroprotective effect of melatonin on the hippocampus exposed to diclofenac sodium during the prenatal period

Melatonin (Mel) has strong antioxidant properties since it is a direct scavenger of oxygen-based free radicals and related species. The main aim of this study is to show whether the effects of Mel can prevent the potential adverse effects of diclofenac sodium (DS), used as a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) during the prenatal period, on the newborn experimental rat brain tissues using stereological methods Twenty-four male 12-week old Wistar albino rats were used. The study involved four groups (each containing six rats), those exposed, during the prenatal period, to saline 1ml/kg (Saline group), to diclofenac sodium 3.6mg/kg (DS group), or to diclofenac sodium+melatonin 50mg/kg (DS+Mel group), and a control group (Cont group). At the end of the experiment, the brains were removed from the cranium for histological and stereological analyses. Cell loss in the hippocampus exposed to DS was observed compared to the Cont group (p<0.01), and a similar side-effect was also seen in the Saline group (p<0.01). However, there was no significant difference in cell numbers between the Cont and DS+Mel groups (p>0.05). These results suggest that exposure to DS during pregnancy causes a decrease in the number of cells in the hippocampus and dentate gyrus in the postnatal period. Using Mel, a neuroprotective agent, reduced the toxic effects of DS.

Prenatal exposure to low-dose diclofenac sodium does not affect total neuron numbers in spinal segment T13 in rats

The main purpose of the present study was to investigate the effects of diclofenac sodium (DS) on the total number of neurons in segment T13 of the spinal cord of offspring of pregnant rats using stereological methods. Eighteen adult female Wistar albino rats weighing 150-200g were used. Pregnant female rats were divided into three groups; a control group, a sham group and a DS (1mg/kg, intramuscular) exposed group. The DS and sham groups received injection from the 5th day of gestation to the 19th. Twenty eight days after birth, the offspring rats were perfused with 4% buffered formalin. T13, which is one of transverse spinal cord segments, were isolated and processed for routine paraffin histology. 5μm sections were obtained using a rotary microtome according to systematic random sampling strategies. Every 40th section was taken and sections were stained with modified Giemsa. All types of motor neuron cell were identified according to their morphology. In this study, the "disector-Cavalieri combination" method was used in the stereological examination of neurons. The motor neurons were counted in the right gray matter of the ventral horn in the spinal cord segment. The Kruskal-Wallis test was used for comparison the groups. In terms of motoneuron number, no significant difference among the groups was found (p>0.05). In conclusion, our results indicated that prenatal exposure to DS has no effect on the total number of motor neuron of the offspring rats.

Adverse effects in lumbar spinal cord morphology and tissue biochemistry in Sprague Dawley male rats following exposure to a continuous 1-h a day 900-MHz electromagnetic field throughout adolescence

Cell phones, an indispensable element of daily life, are today used at almost addictive levels by adolescents. Adolescents are therefore becoming increasingly exposed to the effect of the electromagnetic field (EMF) emitted by cell phones. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of exposure to a 900-MHz EMF throughout adolescence on the lumbar spinal cord using histopathological, immunohistochemical and biochemical techniques. Twenty-four Sprague Dawley (28.3-43.9g) aged 21days were included in the study. These were divided equally into three groups - control (CG), sham (SG) and electromagnetic (ELMAG). No procedure was performed on the CG rats until the end of the study. SG and ELMAG rats were kept inside an EMF cage (EMFC) for 1h a day every day at the same time between postnatal days 22 and 60. During this time, ELMAG rats were exposed to the effect of a 900-MHz EMF, while the SG rats were kept in the EMFC without being exposed to EMF. At the end of the study, the lumbar regions of the spinal cords of all rats in all groups were extracted. Half of each extracted tissue was stored at -80°C for biochemical analysis, while the other half was used for histopathological and immunohistochemical analyses. In terms of histopathology, a lumbar spinal cord with normal morphology was observed in the other groups, while morphological irregularity in gray matter, increased vacuolization and infiltration of white matter into gray matter were pronounced in the ELMAG rats. The cytoplasm of some neurons in the gray matter was shrunken and stained dark, and vacuoles were observed in the cytoplasms. The apoptotic index of glia cells and neurons were significantly higher in ELMAG compared to the other groups. Biochemical analysis revealed a significantly increased MDA value in ELMAG compared to CG, while SOD and GSH levels decreased significantly. In conclusion, our study results suggest that continuous exposure to a 900-MHz EMF for 1h a day through all stages of adolescence can result in impairments at both morphological and biochemical levels in the lumbar region spinal cords of Sprague Dawley rats.

Pernicious effects of long-term, continuous 900-MHz electromagnetic field throughout adolescence on hippocampus morphology, biochemistry and pyramidal neuron numbers in 60-day-old Sprague Dawley male rats

The central nervous system (CNS) begins developing in the intrauterine period, a process that continues until adulthood. Contact with chemical substances, drugs or environmental agents such as electromagnetic field (EMF) during adolescence therefore has the potential to disturb the development of the morphological architecture of components of the CNS (such as the hippocampus). The hippocampus is essential to such diverse functions as memory acquisition and integration and spatial maneuvering. EMF can result in severe damage to both the morphology of the hippocampus and its principal functions during adolescence. Although children and adolescents undergo greater exposure to EMF than adults, the information currently available regarding the effects of exposure to EMF during this period is as yet insufficient. This study investigated the 60-day-old male rat hippocampus following exposure to 900 megahertz (MHz) EMF throughout the adolescent period using stereological, histopathological and biochemical analysis techniques. Eighteen male Sprague Dawley rats aged 21days were assigned into control, sham and EMF groups on a random basis. No procedure was performed on the control group rats. The EMF group (EMFGr) was exposed to a 900-MHz EMF for 1h daily from beginning to end of adolescence. The sham group rats were held in the EMF cage but were not exposed to EMF. All rats were sacrificed at 60days of age. Their brains were extracted and halved. The left hemispheres were set aside for biochemical analyses and the right hemispheres were subjected to stereological and histopathological evaluation. Histopathological examination revealed increased numbers of pyknotic neurons with black or dark blue cytoplasm on EMFGr slides stained with cresyl violet. Stereological analyses revealed fewer pyramidal neurons in EMFGr than in the other two groups. Biochemical analyses showed an increase in malondialdehyde and glutathione levels, but a decrease in catalase levels in EMFGr. Our results indicate that oxidative stress-related morphological damage and pyramidal neuron loss may be observed in the rat hippocampus following exposure to 900-MHz EMF throughout the adolescent period.