The effects of prenatal administration of tumor necrosis factor-α on osteocalcin and RANK expression in newborn mice.

Tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) induces a multitude of actions and consequences in bone and cartilage resorption and immune response augmentation. In this research, we aimed to investigate the effects of TNF-α on osteogenesis parameters in newborn mice. Experimental research was conducted on 42 pregnant mice, dividing into seven groups as follows: control (no injection), vehicle 1 (PBS injection on 7-9th pregnancy days (PD)), vehicle 2 (PBS injection during pregnancy), experimental 1 (injection of 10 ng/kg of TNF-α on 7-9th PD), experimental 2 (injection of 100 ng/kg of TNF-α on 7-9th PD), experimental 3 (injection of 10 ng/kg of TNF-α during pregnancy) and experimental 4 (injection of 100 ng/kg of TNF-α during pregnancy). Immunohistochemical and histomorphologic studies were performed on right lower limb of newborn mice. The expression of osteocalcin and RANK markers and cortical bone thickness showed no significant difference between the groups. There were no significant changes in osteogenesis parameters in this study. Some evidences have demonstrated the dual role of TNF-α on body tissues. However, future investigations should be done to analyze the molecular pathways involved in TNF-α functions and assess the paradoxical effects of TNF-α on osteogenesis.