Influence of sleep deprivation on expression of MKK4 and c-fos in the mandibular condylar cartilage of rats

The aim of this study was to investigate the changes in expression of mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase 4 (MKK4) and c-fos in the mandibular condylar cartilage of rats that had been subjected to sleep deprivation. One hundred and twenty female Wistar rats were randomly divided into 6 groups with 20 in each: sleep deprivation for 2 days, 4 days, 6 days, and 8 days, large-platform controls, and cage controls. After sleep deprivation by the modified multiple platform method the sleep-deprived rats were killed. The large-platform and cage control rats were killed at the same time as the rats deprived of sleep for 8 days. Haematoxylin and eosin were used to record the morphological changes in cartilage, and immunohistochemistry and real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) were used to detect the expression of MKK4 and c-fos. Pathological alterations were apparent after 6 and 8 days of sleep deprivation. Compared with control groups, the expression of MKK4 in the sleep-deprived groups was lower, while that of c-fos was higher. As the duration of sleep deprivation increased, the expression of MKK4 decreased. These results indicate that the variation in expression of MKK4 and c-fos may be correlated with pathological changes induced by sleep deprivation in mandibular condylar cartilage in rats.