Comparative proteomic changes in rabbit vocal folds undergoing systemic dehydration and systemic rehydration

Area of Science:

• Biochemistry
• Physiology
• Otorhinolaryngology

Background:

• Systemic dehydration negatively affects voice production, yet rehydration benefits are unclear.
• Molecular changes in vocal folds during dehydration and rehydration are poorly understood.
• Clinical recommendations for hydration lack robust biological evidence.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate protein-level changes in vocal folds during acute dehydration and subsequent rehydration.
• To explore the molecular transition from euhydration to dehydration and back.
• To provide biological data on the effects of rehydration on vocal fold tissue.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a rabbit model (n=24) for acute water restriction (5 days) followed by rehydration (3 days).
• Employed liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) for protein quantification in vocal folds.
• Analyzed physiological markers including body weight, anion gap, and blood urea nitrogen (BUN).

Main Results:

• Water restriction caused a 4.3% body weight decrease and altered physiological markers.
• Identified 309 differentially regulated proteins between control and dehydrated states (p < 0.05).
• Vocal fold proteomic profiles showed similarity between dehydration and rehydration groups, distinct from controls.

Conclusions:

• Acute systemic dehydration induces significant molecular changes in vocal fold tissue.
• Rehydration did not fully restore the proteomic profile to a euhydrated state.
• Highlights the importance of considering persistent molecular changes despite rapid clinical recovery.