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Case Reports
. 2021 May;7(3):944-949.
doi: 10.1002/vms3.405. Epub 2020 Dec 5.

Nephroblastoma in a Sprague Dawley rat unrelated to titanium dioxide nanoparticle exposure in utero

Samantha J Glaspell  1 , Katie J Knapek  1 , Ida M Washington  1 , Scott D Fitzgerald  2   3 , Jessica S Fortin  2
Affiliations
Case Reports

Nephroblastoma in a Sprague Dawley rat unrelated to titanium dioxide nanoparticle exposure in utero

Samantha J Glaspell et al. Vet Med Sci. 2021 May.

Abstract

Nephroblastoma is an embryonal tumour that has rarely been reported in laboratory rats. In this case report, a large nephroblastoma with peritoneal seeding was found during necropsy in an 11-month-old, female, Sprague Dawley rat. The rat had a history of indirect exposure to nano-TiO2 (titanium dioxide nanoparticles) during maternal gestation. A firm mass in the upper right abdominal quadrant was palpated. Four weeks later, the animal quickly declined. Nephroblastoma was confirmed by histopathology. Only one rat developed nephroblastoma among the ten littermates. Nephroblastomas in Sprague Dawley rats are typically spontaneous tumours with non-malignant mesenchymal elements. The capability to induce a nephroblastoma with nano-TiO2 is less likely in this case.

Keywords: TiO2; Wilms' tumour; metastasis; nephroblastoma; rodent.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have no conflict of interest to disclose.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Macroscopic picture of the rat abdominal mass. A large expansive abdominal bi‐lobed mass (starbursts) was associated with multifocal to coalescing, 5‐50 mm, tan nodules (arrows). The liver was pale (square)
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2
Photomicrograph of sections of the affected kidney (haematoxylin and eosin [H&E] stain). Histologically, the large abdominal mass observed during gross examination exhibited a biphasic pattern comprised of epithelial and mesenchymal elements
FIGURE 3
FIGURE 3
Higher magnification of the photomicrograph of tissue section of renal mass (haematoxylin and eosin [H&E] stain) to show the epithelial components (lozenge) with tubular structures (arrows) and spindle cells (mesenchymal component) between the tubule profiles (starburst)
FIGURE 4
FIGURE 4
Photomicrograph of the tissue section of the seeding masses attached to the serosa of the stomach (Haematoxylin and eosin [H&E] stain)
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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