Abstract
This study examined the effects of delivery mode on the response to inflammatory pulpal pain and pain-induced changes in cognitive performance in adult rats. Experiments were done on rats born by vaginal or caesarean section (C-section) delivery. Dental pulp was irritated by intradental capsaicin (100 µg) application and then nociceptive scores were recorded for 40 min. Spatial and passive avoidance learning and memory were assessed using the Morris water maze (MWM) and shuttle box tools, respectively. Additionally, in vivo recording of field excitatory postsynaptic potential (fEPSP) in the CA1 of the hippocampus was used to verify synaptic plasticity. Capsaicin produced more significant nociceptive behavior in vaginally delivered rats compared to C-section rats (P < 0.01). C-section-delivered rats show better performance in both MWM and shuttle box tests. Likewise, C-section rats had greater fEPSP slopes compared to the vaginally delivered group (P < 0.05). Capsaicin impairs cognitive performance in rats born by each delivery route. However, capsaicin effects were more significant in rats delivered vaginally than by C-section. Overall, C-section-delivered rats show lower sensitivity to capsaicin-evoked pulpal nociception and better cognitive performance than vaginally delivered rats. These effects are in part mediated by reduced neuroinflammation and enhanced neuronal synaptic plasticity following C-section delivery.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 717-724 |
| Number of pages | 8 |
| Journal | Canadian journal of physiology and pharmacology |
| Volume | 98 |
| Issue number | 10 |
| Early online date | 9 Jun 2020 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Oct 2020 |
Funding
The authors wish to thank Shahid Bahonar University of Kerman for financial support and Ms. Emma Tait who undertook the burden of proofreading of the article.
| Funders | Funder number |
|---|---|
| Shahid Bahonar University of Kerman |