Newborn analgesia mediated by oxytocin during delivery
The mechanisms controlling pain in newborns during delivery are poorly understood. We explored the hypothesis that oxytocin, an essential hormone for labor and a powerful neuromodulator, exerts analgesic actions on newborns during delivery. Using a thermal tail-flick assay, we report that pain sensi...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Frontiers Media S.A.
2011-04-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Cellular Neuroscience |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://journal.frontiersin.org/Journal/10.3389/fncel.2011.00003/full |
| _version_ | 1811305052598435840 |
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| author | Michel eMazzuca Michel eMazzuca Marat eMinlebaev Anastasia eShakirzyanova Anastasia eShakirzyanova Roman eTyzio Giuliano eTaccola Sona eJanackova Svetlana eGataullina Yehezkel eBen-Ari Rashid eGiniatullin Rustem eKhazipov |
| author_facet | Michel eMazzuca Michel eMazzuca Marat eMinlebaev Anastasia eShakirzyanova Anastasia eShakirzyanova Roman eTyzio Giuliano eTaccola Sona eJanackova Svetlana eGataullina Yehezkel eBen-Ari Rashid eGiniatullin Rustem eKhazipov |
| author_sort | Michel eMazzuca |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The mechanisms controlling pain in newborns during delivery are poorly understood. We explored the hypothesis that oxytocin, an essential hormone for labor and a powerful neuromodulator, exerts analgesic actions on newborns during delivery. Using a thermal tail-flick assay, we report that pain sensitivity is two fold lower in rat pups immediately after birth than two days later. Oxytocin receptor antagonists strongly enhanced pain sensitivity in newborn, but not in two days-old rats, whereas oxytocin reduced pain at both ages suggesting an endogenous analgesia by oxytocin during delivery. Similar analgesic effects of oxytocin, measured as attenuation of pain-vocalization induced by electrical whisker pad stimulation, were also observed in decerebrated newborns. Oxytocin reduced GABA-evoked calcium responses and depolarizing GABA driving force in isolated neonatal trigeminal neurons suggesting that oxytocin effects are mediated by alterations of intracellular chloride. Unlike GABA signaling, oxytocin did not affect responses mediated by P2X3 and TRPV1 receptors. In keeping with a GABAergic mechanism, reduction of intracellular chloride by the diuretic NKCC1 choride co-transporter antagonist bumetanide mimicked the analgesic actions of oxytocin and its effects on GABA responses in nociceptive neurons. Therefore, endogenous oxytocin exerts an analgesic action in newborn pups that involves a reduction of the depolarizing action of GABA on nociceptive neurons. Therefore, the same hormone that triggers delivery also acts as a natural pain killer revealing a novel facet of the protective actions of oxytocin in the fetus at birth. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-13T08:18:27Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-e4677c846af44e5da2e2d42e0862c2ed |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1662-5102 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-13T08:18:27Z |
| publishDate | 2011-04-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Cellular Neuroscience |
| spelling | doaj.art-e4677c846af44e5da2e2d42e0862c2ed2022-12-22T02:54:43ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Cellular Neuroscience1662-51022011-04-01510.3389/fncel.2011.000039868Newborn analgesia mediated by oxytocin during deliveryMichel eMazzuca0Michel eMazzuca1Marat eMinlebaev2Anastasia eShakirzyanova3Anastasia eShakirzyanova4Roman eTyzio5Giuliano eTaccola6Sona eJanackova7Svetlana eGataullina8Yehezkel eBen-Ari9Rashid eGiniatullin10Rustem eKhazipov11INMEDUniversite Claude Bernard Lyon IINMEDA I.Virtanen Institute, University of Eastern FinlandKSC RASINMEDSISSAINMEDINMEDINMEDA I.Virtanen Institute, University of Eastern FinlandINMEDThe mechanisms controlling pain in newborns during delivery are poorly understood. We explored the hypothesis that oxytocin, an essential hormone for labor and a powerful neuromodulator, exerts analgesic actions on newborns during delivery. Using a thermal tail-flick assay, we report that pain sensitivity is two fold lower in rat pups immediately after birth than two days later. Oxytocin receptor antagonists strongly enhanced pain sensitivity in newborn, but not in two days-old rats, whereas oxytocin reduced pain at both ages suggesting an endogenous analgesia by oxytocin during delivery. Similar analgesic effects of oxytocin, measured as attenuation of pain-vocalization induced by electrical whisker pad stimulation, were also observed in decerebrated newborns. Oxytocin reduced GABA-evoked calcium responses and depolarizing GABA driving force in isolated neonatal trigeminal neurons suggesting that oxytocin effects are mediated by alterations of intracellular chloride. Unlike GABA signaling, oxytocin did not affect responses mediated by P2X3 and TRPV1 receptors. In keeping with a GABAergic mechanism, reduction of intracellular chloride by the diuretic NKCC1 choride co-transporter antagonist bumetanide mimicked the analgesic actions of oxytocin and its effects on GABA responses in nociceptive neurons. Therefore, endogenous oxytocin exerts an analgesic action in newborn pups that involves a reduction of the depolarizing action of GABA on nociceptive neurons. Therefore, the same hormone that triggers delivery also acts as a natural pain killer revealing a novel facet of the protective actions of oxytocin in the fetus at birth.http://journal.frontiersin.org/Journal/10.3389/fncel.2011.00003/fullOxytocinPainGABAneonate |
| spellingShingle | Michel eMazzuca Michel eMazzuca Marat eMinlebaev Anastasia eShakirzyanova Anastasia eShakirzyanova Roman eTyzio Giuliano eTaccola Sona eJanackova Svetlana eGataullina Yehezkel eBen-Ari Rashid eGiniatullin Rustem eKhazipov Newborn analgesia mediated by oxytocin during delivery Frontiers in Cellular Neuroscience Oxytocin Pain GABA neonate |
| title | Newborn analgesia mediated by oxytocin during delivery |
| title_full | Newborn analgesia mediated by oxytocin during delivery |
| title_fullStr | Newborn analgesia mediated by oxytocin during delivery |
| title_full_unstemmed | Newborn analgesia mediated by oxytocin during delivery |
| title_short | Newborn analgesia mediated by oxytocin during delivery |
| title_sort | newborn analgesia mediated by oxytocin during delivery |
| topic | Oxytocin Pain GABA neonate |
| url | http://journal.frontiersin.org/Journal/10.3389/fncel.2011.00003/full |
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