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. 2020 Aug 30;59:102968. doi: 10.1016/j.ebiom.2020.102968

Fig. 4.

Fig 4

Prebiotic administration alters brainstem neurochemistry

Group data for l-DOPA (a), dopamine (b), DOPAC (c) DOPAC/Dopamine (d), homovanillic acid (e), homovanillic acid/dopamine ratio (f), noradrenaline (g), serotonin (h), 5-HIAA (i) and 5-HIAA/Serotonin ratio (j) in Sham+VEH, CIH+VEH, Sham+PREB and CIH+PREB. l-DOPA, l-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine; DOPAC, 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid; 5-HIAA, 5-hydroindoleacetic acid; CIH, chronic intermittent hypoxia; PREB; prebiotic; VEH, vehicle. Data (a-j) are expressed as box and whisker plots (median, IQR and minimum to maximum values); n = 10–12. Groups were statistically compared using two-way ANOVA, followed by Fisher's least significant difference (LSD) post hoc where appropriate, or non-parametric Kruskal-Wallis test, followed by Mann-Whitney U test, where appropriate. l-DOPA (p = 0.003; Fig. 4a) and DOPAC (p = 0.006; Fig. 4c) concentrations in the pontine region as well as DOPAC/DA (Diet*CIH, p = 0.042; Fig. 4d), HVA (p = 0.001; Fig. 4e), HVA/DA (p = 0.020; Fig. 4f), 5-HT (Diet, p = 0.043; Fig. 4h) and 5-HIAA (p = 0.043; Fig. 4i) concentrations in the medulla oblongata are different. Other monoamine, metabolites and precursors were not statistically different between groups (p>0.05; Fig. 4b, 4g, 4h, 4j). ~ p = 0.008, CIH+PREB versus CIH+VEH; $ p = 0.006, Sham+PREB versus Sham+VEH.