title: The excitatory synaptic transmission of the nucleus of solitary tract was potentiated by chronic myocardial infarction in rats.
abstract: Angina pectoris is a common clinical symptom that often results from myocardial infarction. One typical characteristic of angina pectoris is that the pain does not match the severity of the myocardial ischemia. One possible explanation is that the intensity of cardiac nociceptive information could be dynamically regulated by certain brain areas. As an important nucleus for processing cardiac nociception, the nucleus of the solitary tract (NTS) has been studied to some extent. However, until now, the morphological and functional involvement of the NTS in chronic myocardial infarction (CMI) has remained unknown. In the present study, by exploring left anterior descending coronary artery ligation surgery, we found that the number of synaptophysin-immunoreactive puncta and Fos-immunoreactive neurons in the rat NTS two weeks after ligation surgery increased significantly. Excitatory pre- and postsynaptic transmission was potentiated. A bath application of a Ca2+ channel inhibitor GABApentin and Ca2+ permeable AMPA receptor antagonist NASPM could reverse the potentiated pre- and postsynaptic transmission, respectively. Meanwhile, rats with CMI showed significantly increased visceral pain behaviors. Microinjection of GABApentin or NASPM into the NTS decreased the CMI-induced visceral pain behaviors. In sum, our results suggest that the NTS is an important area for the process of cardiac afference in chronic myocardial infarction condition.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology and Pathophysiology, Xi'an Jiaotong University, School of Medicine, Xi'an, 710061, China; Department of Anatomy, Histology and Embryology, K. K. Leung Brain Research Centre, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, 710032, China.
authors.forename: Jing
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy, Histology and Embryology, K. K. Leung Brain Research Centre, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, 710032, China.
authors.forename: Ming-Ming
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy, Histology and Embryology, K. K. Leung Brain Research Centre, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, 710032, China.
authors.forename: Ke
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Tu
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy, Histology and Embryology, K. K. Leung Brain Research Centre, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, 710032, China.
authors.forename: Jian
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy, Histology and Embryology, K. K. Leung Brain Research Centre, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, 710032, China.
authors.forename: Ban
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Feng
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy, Histology and Embryology, K. K. Leung Brain Research Centre, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, 710032, China.
authors.forename: Zi-Nan
authors.initials: ZN
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy, Histology and Embryology, K. K. Leung Brain Research Centre, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, 710032, China.
authors.forename: Jie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lei
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy, Histology and Embryology, K. K. Leung Brain Research Centre, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, 710032, China.
authors.forename: Yun-Qing
authors.initials: YQ
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology and Pathophysiology, Xi'an Jiaotong University, School of Medicine, Xi'an, 710061, China; Department of Anatomy, Histology and Embryology, K. K. Leung Brain Research Centre, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, 710032, China.
authors.forename: Jian-Qing
authors.initials: JQ
authors.lastname: Du
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy, Histology and Embryology, K. K. Leung Brain Research Centre, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, 710032, China; Center for Neuron and Disease, Frontier Institute of Science and Technology, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China.
authors.forename: Tao
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Chen
mesh_terms: D000588:Amines / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000700:Analgesics / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000818:Animals; D003509:Cyclohexanecarboxylic Acids / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D019706:Excitatory Postsynaptic Potentials / Q000187:drug effects; D000077206:Gabapentin; D008297:Male; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000150:complications* / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology; D009474:Neurons / Q000378:metabolism; D016761:Oncogene Proteins v-fos / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D017552:Solitary Nucleus / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D013096:Spermine / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000627:therapeutic use; D016708:Synaptophysin / Q000378:metabolism; D059265:Visceral Pain / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000209:etiology; D005680:gamma-Aminobutyric Acid / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use
chemical_list: D000588:Amines; D000700:Analgesics; D003509:Cyclohexanecarboxylic Acids; D016761:Oncogene Proteins v-fos; D016708:Synaptophysin; C569016:Syp protein, rat; C067506:1-naphthylacetylspermine; D013096:Spermine; D005680:gamma-Aminobutyric Acid; D000077206:Gabapentin