A stereological study of renal COX-2 expression in rats treated prenatally with diclofenac sodium

In this study, expression of COX-2 was stereologically and immunohistochemically investigated by administrating the diclofenac sodium which is a nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drug and as a COX-2 inhibitor during pregnancy of rats then by examining their fourth week offsprings' kidneys. Totally 12 adult albino female rats were divided into two groups as diclofenac sodium group as experimental group and control group. Diclofenac sodium was injected (1mg/kg) intraperitoneally to the diclofenac group on the fifth day of pregnancy. The control group did not undergo any procedures. Six diclofenac sodium groups and six control groups were formed from postnatal four-week-old rats. It was perfused under deep anesthesia and transferred to the formoldehide. Routine tissue follow-up was performed. A total of 12 kidneys were collected from the diclofenac and control groups. After incubation, staining was performed. In the stereological examination of the preparations, the volume with point grid; Cell counting was performed with unbiased counting frame and Mann-Whitney U test was used for statistical analysis. In immunohistochemical evaluation, staining intensities were evaluated by scoring technique; COX-2 expressions of postnatal rat kidneys of both groups were found at different concentrations of macular densa, proximal tubule, distal tubule, tubules in the cortex, tubules in the medulla, collecting tubules and glomeruli. It was observed that COX-2 staining levels were significantly higher in the macular densa and collector tubules of the two groups. In scoring method evaluation; In all other regions except macula densa, the mean dye density of the diclofenac group was lower than that of the control group; Proximal tubule, distal tubule and cortical tubule staining intensity was determined with a relatively different score compared to the control group. As a result of stereological calculations, nuance between two clusters (p <0.05) was found statistically significant. Renal volume is higher in the kidneys of the diclofenac sodium group; control group's kidneys were found to have more cells penetrated by COX-2.