The Effects of Unilateral Labyrinthectomy on Monoamine Neurotransmitters in the Medial Vestibular Nucleus of Rats

Jun Wang; E Tian; Yuejin Zhang; Zhaoqi Guo; Jingyu Chen; Weijia Kong; Yisheng Lu; Sulin Zhang

doi:10.3390/biom13111637

Biomolecules (Nov 2023)

The Effects of Unilateral Labyrinthectomy on Monoamine Neurotransmitters in the Medial Vestibular Nucleus of Rats

Jun Wang,
E Tian,
Yuejin Zhang,
Zhaoqi Guo,
Jingyu Chen,
Weijia Kong,
Yisheng Lu,
Sulin Zhang

Affiliations

Jun Wang: Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430022, China
E Tian: Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430022, China
Yuejin Zhang: Department of Physiology, School of Basic Medicine, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, China
Zhaoqi Guo: Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430022, China
Jingyu Chen: Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430022, China
Weijia Kong: Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430022, China
Yisheng Lu: Department of Physiology, School of Basic Medicine, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, China
Sulin Zhang: Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430022, China

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/biom13111637
Journal volume & issue: Vol. 13, no. 11
p. 1637

Abstract

Read online

Background: This study aimed to investigate the effects of unilateral labyrinthectomy (UL) on monoamine neurotransmitters in the medial vestibular nucleus (MVN) of rats. Methods: Adult Sprague–Dawley rats were utilized for the vestibular impaired animal model through UL. The success of the model establishment and the recovery process were evaluated using vestibular behavioral tests, including spontaneous nystagmus, postural asymmetry, and balance beam test. Additionally, the expression levels of c-Fos protein in the MVN were assessed by immunofluorescence. Furthermore, changes in the expression levels of monoamine neurotransmitters, including 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT), norepinephrine (NE), dopamine (DA), and histamine in the MVN, were analyzed using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) at different time points after UL (4 h, 8 h, 1 day, 2 days, 4 days, and 7 days). Results: Compared to the sham control group, the UL group exhibited the most pronounced vestibular impairment symptoms at 4 h post-UL, which significantly decreased at 4 days and almost fully recovered by 7 days. Immunofluorescence results showed a notable upregulation of c-Fos expression in the MVN subsequent to the UL-4 h, serving as a reliable indicator of heightened neuronal activity. In comparison with the sham group, HPLC analysis showed that the levels of 5-HT and NE in the ipsilesional MVN of the UL group were significantly elevated within 4 days after UL, and peaked on 1 day and 2 days, respectively. DA showed an increasing trend at different time points up to 7 days post-UL, while histamine levels significantly increased only at 1 day post-UL. Conclusions: UL-induced dynamic changes in monoamine neurotransmitters during the early compensation period in the rat MVN may be associated with the regulation of the central vestibular compensation mechanism by the MVN.

Published in Biomolecules

ISSN: 2218-273X (Online)
Publisher: MDPI AG
Country of publisher: Switzerland
LCC subjects: Science: Microbiology
Website: https://www.mdpi.com/journal/biomolecules

About the journal

Abstract

Keywords