Association Between Rotarod Tests and Myelin Basic Protein in the Confirmation of the Cuprizone-Induced Rat Multiple Sclerosis Model and the Relationship of These Parameters with Dietary Zinc Status

Introduction: Experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) is widely used for studies of human inflammatory demyelinating diseases. The cuprizone model is one of the most frequently used. The cuprizone model is a toxic demyelination model. The most significant challenge in this experimental model is demonstrating the development of MS in animals with experimental evidence. Two tests stand out in demonstrating the development of disease in cuprizone-induced rat MS models. The first is the Rotarod test. The Rotarod test is an experimental test that has become frequently used in recent years in the field of neuroscience to demonstrate motor function disorders. The second is the determination of MBP levels at the tissue or blood level. The aim of this study is to investigate the role of rotarod tests and myelin basic protein (MBP) analysis in confirming multiple sclerosis (MS) in a cuprizone-induced rat model, and also the relationship of these parameters with dietary zinc status. Methods: In the study, approved by the ethics committee, forty-six adult male Wistar rats were divided into five groups. Groups 1 and 2 received Carboxy-methyl-cellulose (CMC) solution. Multiple sclerosis was induced in Groups 3, 4, and 5 by daily gavage of cuprizone in CMC solution (1% of feed intake) for 8 weeks. Group 4 received a zinc-deficient diet, while Group 5 received daily intraperitoneal zinc sulfate supplementation. Myelin basic protein gene expression in animals was determined using Real-Time PCR. Results: Results showed that MS-induced rats in Groups 3 and 4 exhibited significantly shorter rotarod fall times and higher corpus callosum MBP gene expression compared to other groups (p<0.05). Notably, zinc supplementation in Group 5 reversed these effects (p<0.05). Conclusion: These findings confirm that 8 weeks of cuprizone administration induces an MS-like condition in rats, and zinc supplementation effectively ameliorates these MS symptoms.