A histological investigation concerning the effects of diclofenac sodium to the lung in 4- and 20-week-old rats treated prenatally

Objective. We aimed to investigate the possible postnatal effects on the lung tissues of the rat offspring treated with diclofenac sodium (DS) during pregnancy.Methods. After mating, pregnant female rats were separated into the control (n = 10) and DS (n = 10) groups. DS (1 mg/kg) was injected intraperitoneally (i.p) to the drug-treated group for the period of gestational days 5–19. Physiological saline (1 ml, i.p.) was given to the control groups. After birth, pups were separated into DS treatment groups (n = 24) and control group (n = 24). The DS and control group animals were anaesthetised with i.p. injection of urethane and their lungs were removed to prepare for histopathological evaluation.Results. Histological examination of the lung tissues of the 4- and 20-week-old rats revealed no significant differences between males and females in both the control and DS treated rats.Conclusion. Because of the use of DS in the pregnant women further studies are needed in this field.