Effects of Caffeine During Pregnancy in Histology, Morphometry, Tissue Fluorescence and PAX6 Gene Expression on the Rat Neonate’s Retina

In this study, the histology effect of caffeine administration was evaluated on retina and PAX6 expression in rat neonates. Material and Methods: A total of 24 pregnant rats were divided into three groups. Intraperitoneal injection of saline in the control group and also 50 mg/kg and 100 mg/kg caffeine injection from the ninth day of gestation was done. At 20 or 21 embryonic day, neonates on the first and fifth days were euthanized anesthetized and the eyes were isolated and fixed. The neonates were examined for abnormalities. The Retina Histological and morphometric evaluations, eye tissue fluorescence changes, and PAX6 gene expression were investigated by Real time PCR. The results showed that the effects of maternal caffeine treatment on the retina in neonates are associated with atrophic changes and cell counts of ganglion cell layer, retinal thickness and thickness of the inner plexiform layer, in the animals were treated with caffeine, were significantly reduced (P<0.05). Also caffeine induced behavioral changes in mothers and tissue fluorescence and significantly increased (P <0.05) the PAX6 gene expression in the groups receiving caffeine. Administration of caffeine during pregnancy can induce histopathological changes in organogenesis and developing in rat neonate’s retina.