The effects of long-term doppler ultrasound exposure in the prenatal period on renal tissue physiology in rats

ABSTRACT

Doppler ultrasonography (DUSG) is widely used for fetal evaluations. This study investigated the effects of new generation Doppler ultrasound application at different frequencies during pregnancy on postnatal renal development. Six pregnant female rats were divided into three groups. No procedure was performed on the first (control) group. In the second group, transabdominal DUSG was performed continuously for 15 min every day from the first day of gestation until birth. In the third group, DUSG was applied for 15 min every two days. Twenty-four male pups were sacrificed after 60 days. Renal tissues were then collected and subjected to biochemical, histopathological, and immunohistochemical evaluation. Malondialdehyde, glutathione, urea, Ca, K, and Cl levels increased in the DUSG groups compared to the control group (p < .05). Histopathologically, tubular damage increased in the DUSG groups compared to the control group (p < .05). Immunohistochemically, an increase was determined in Caspase-3 expression in the DUSG groups compared to the control group (p > .05). The DUSG groups also exhibited an increase in the superficial areas of the proximal and distal tubules, although the difference compared to the control group was not significant (p > .05). Multiple administrations of new generation DUSG to pregnant rats resulted in deleterious effects on the development of postnatal renal tissue. This shows that DUSG should be applied for as short a time as possible and that re-exposure should be avoided.

KEYWORDS:

• Doppler ultrasonography
• thermal effect
• mechanical effect
• histopathological change

Statement of ethics

The rats received humane care according to the criteria outlined in the ‘Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals prepared by the National Academy of Sciences and published by the National Institutes of Health and 2013 Declaration of Helsinki for research. The study was approved by the University Animal Ethical Committee (ID: 2017/3 dated 24.01.2017)

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Data availability statement

The data that support the findings of this study are available on request from the corresponding author, FBC. The data are not publicly available due to the regulations of the Local Ethics Committee.

Additional information

Funding

This study was personally funded.