%0 Journal Article
%T Craniofacial and olfactory sensory changes after long-term unilateral nasal obstruction-an animal study using MMP-3-LUC transgenic rats.
%A Hsu LF
%A Ratanasereeprasert N
%A Wang SK
%A Chen JT
%A Chen YJ
%A Yeh TH
%A Sung HH
%A Yao CJ
%J Sci Rep
%V 14
%N 1
%D 2024 01 31
%M 38297007
%F 4.996
%R 10.1038/s41598-024-51544-3
%X Nasal obstruction exerts considerable physiological effects on the respiratory system and craniofacial morphology during the developmental stage. This study used MMP-3-LUC transgenic rats for in vivo tracking of long-term expression in the rat nasal region after unilateral nasal obstruction. Skeletal changes of the craniofacial, nasal, and sinus regions were measured through micro-computed tomography examination and analysis with 3D image processing and calculation. Matrix metalloproteinase-3 and olfactory marker protein expression were also investigated through immunohistochemistry (IHC). Unilateral nasal obstruction significantly reduced the MMP-3 signal in the nasal region of MMP-3-LUC transgenic rats, which was mainly expressed in the respiratory epithelium. Long-term obstruction also caused morphological changes of the craniofacial hard tissue, such as nasal septal deviation, longer inter-jaw distance, and increased maxillary molar dental height. It also caused compensatory growth in olfactory nerve bundles and the olfactory epithelium, as confirmed by IHC. In our study, long-term unilateral nasal obstruction caused nasal septal deviation toward the unobstructed side, hyper divergent facial development including longer molar dental height, and reduced MMP-3 production. However, further investigation is necessary to explore the mechanism in depth.