Does prenatal exposure to diclofenac sodium affect the total number of cerebellar granule cells in male juvenile and adult rats?

A developing embryo is exposed to side effects of diclofenac sodium (DS), a commonly used non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug, since women may incidentally become pregnant while receiving DS therapy. Several adverse effects of DS have been clearly established. However, the effects of prenatal exposure to DS on the developing cerebellum especially are unclear for granular cells. In this study, we investigated the total number of granule cells in the cerebellum in control and DS-treated groups of male rats using the optical fractionator technique. DS (Voltaren, 75 mg/3 ml) in a dose of 1 mg/kg daily was intraperitoneally injected in the drug-treated group of pregnant rats beginning from the 5th day after mating during pregnancy for 15 days. Serum physiological at 1 ml/kg dose was injected in the control group of pregnant rats during the same period and the same way. Male offspring were obtained after delivery, and each group was divided two subgroups that were 4-weeks-old (4W-old) and 20-weeks-old (20W-old). Our results showed that there was no significant difference not only between the 4W-old DS-treated rats and the 4W-old control group but also between 20W-old DS-treated rats and the 20W-old control group. These results suggest that the development of the granule cells in the male cerebellum may not be affected during either in the early or late life of an animal following administration of DS during the prenatal period. J. Exp. Clin. Med., 2012; 29:52-57