Chronic Electrical Stimulation of the Superior Laryngeal Nerve in the Rat: A Potential Therapeutic Approach for Postmenopausal Osteoporosis

Electrical stimulation of myelinated afferent fibers of the superior laryngeal nerve (SLN) facilitates calcitonin secretion from the thyroid gland in anesthetized rats. In this study, we aimed to quantify the electrical SLN stimulation-induced systemic calcitonin release in conscious rats and to then clarify effects of chronic SLN stimulation on bone mineral density (BMD) in a rat ovariectomized disease model of osteoporosis. Cuff electrodes were implanted bilaterally on SLNs and after two weeks recovery were stimulated (0.5 ms, 90 microampere) repetitively at 40 Hz for 8 min. Immunoreactive calcitonin release was initially measured and quantified in systemic venous blood plasma samples from conscious healthy rats. For chronic SLN stimulation, stimuli were applied intermittently for 3-4 weeks, starting at five weeks after ovariectomy (OVX). After the end of the stimulation period, BMD of the femur and tibia was measured. SLN stimulation increased plasma immunoreactive calcitonin concentration by 13.3 +/- 17.3 pg/mL (mean +/- SD). BMD in proximal metaphysis of tibia (p = 0.0324) and in distal metaphysis of femur (p = 0.0510) in chronically SLN-stimulated rats was 4-5% higher than that in sham rats. Our findings demonstrate chronic electrical stimulation of the SLNs produced enhanced calcitonin release from the thyroid gland and partially improved bone loss in OVX rats.