Modulation of cardiac oxytocin receptor and estrogen receptor alpha mRNAs expression following neonatal oxytocin treatment

Abstract

Oxytocin (OT) is known for its role in reproduction. However, evidence has emerged suggesting its involvement in the regulation of the cardiovascular system. Here we examine the hypothesis that neonatal exposure to OT can have both short-term and long-lasting consequences on gene expression in heart tissue. On the first day of postnatal life, female and male prairie voles (Microtus ochrogaster) were randomly assigned to receive one of following treatments: 50 μl i.p. injection of (a) 3 μg OT (b) 0.3 μg of OT antagonist (OTA), or (c) isotonic saline (SAL). Hearts were collected on postnatal day 1 (D1, 2 h after injection), day 8 (D8), or day 21 (D21), and the mRNA expression for OT receptor (OTR), estrogen receptor alpha (ERα) and estrogen receptor beta (ERβ as a function of age, treatment, and sex were measured using RT-PCR. Neonatal treatment with OT showed a marked increase in cardiac OTR mRNA expression on postnatal D1, but not D8 or D21, in both female and male animals. ERα increased as a function of OT treatment only in females. Although significant treatment effects were no longer detected in D8 or D21 animals, there were significant changes in the relative expression of all types of mRNA between D1 and D21 with age-related declines in OTR and ERβ and increases in ERα Neonatal treatment with OTA showed no changes in cardiac OTR, ERα, or ERβ mRNAs expression. The results indicate that during the early postnatal period OT can have rapid effects on the expression of OTR and ERα mRNAs and that these effects are mitigated by D8 or D21. Also, with the exception of ERα mRNA, the effects are the same in both sexes.