Stereological Evaluation of Cell Proliferation following Intrarenal Injection of Platelet-rich Plasma in Gentamicin-treated Rats

  Background & objectives: Nephrotoxicity is the most important side effect of gentamicin and is a concern in clinical situations. There are no therapeutic tools to prevent or palliate nephrotoxicity. Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) as a source of growth factors can be considered as a therapeutic tool. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the effects of PRP on proliferation of epithelial cells of convoluted tubules in gentamicin-treated rat model by stereological method. Methods: 28 male rats (200-300g) were divided into four groups, each group containing 7 animals: control, patient without treatment, sham and experimental groups. Gentamicin was injected intraperitoneally (80mg/kg/daily) for 8 days. 24 hours after the last injection, blood samples were collected to assess the serum levels of blood urea nitrogen and creatinine. The sham and experimental animals were subjected to intrarenal injection of 100 µl normal saline and PRP, respectively. 3 days later, the rats scarified under the deep anaesthesia and their kidneys were removed, prepared histologically and stained. The stereological methods were used for estimating the number of epithelial cells in convoluted tubules. Data analysis was done using SPSS 26. Differences between groups were compared with one-way analysis of variance and Duncan’s multiple range test. p<0.05 was considered as significant. Results: PRP increased the number of epithelial cells in the convoluted tubules in gentamicin-treated animals (p<0.05). Conclusion: It seems that PRP can induce proliferation of epithelial cells of convoluted tubules in gentamicin-treated rat model.