Exposure to chronic intermittent hypoxia alters sympathetic reflexes and neurotransmission in the rostral ventrolateral medulla (RVLM) in Sprague–Dawley rats

2011 ◽  
Vol 163 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 85
Author(s):  
A.Q. Silva ◽  
A.M. Schreihofer
2011 ◽  
Vol 301 (1) ◽  
pp. R131-R139 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. David Knight ◽  
Joel T. Little ◽  
Flavia R. Carreno ◽  
Glenn M. Toney ◽  
Steven W. Mifflin ◽  
...  

Chronic intermittent hypoxia (CIH) models repetitive bouts of arterial hypoxemia that occur in humans suffering from obstructive sleep apnea. CIH has been linked to persistent activation of arterial chemoreceptors and the renin-angiotensin system, which have been linked to chronic elevations of sympathetic nerve activity (SNA) and mean arterial pressure (MAP). Because Fos and FosB are transcription factors involved in activator protein (AP)-1 driven central nervous system neuronal adaptations, this study determined if CIH causes increased Fos or FosB staining in brain regions that regulate SNA and autonomic function. Male Sprague Dawley rats were instrumented with telemetry transmitters for continuous recording of MAP and heart rate (HR). Rats were exposed to continuous normoxia (CON) or to CIH for 8 h/day for 7 days. CIH increased MAP by 7–10 mmHg without persistently affecting HR. A separate group of rats was killed 1 day after 7 days of CIH for immunohistochemistry. CIH did not increase Fos staining in any brain region examined. Staining for FosB/ΔFosB was increased in the organum vasculosum of the lamina terminalis (CON: 9 ± 1; CIH: 34 ± 3 cells/section), subfornical organ (CON: 7 ± 2; CIH: 31 ± 3), median preoptic nucleus (CON 15 ± 1; CIH: 38 ± 3), nucleus of the solitary tract (CON: 9 ± 2; CIH: 28 ± 4), A5 (CON: 3 ± 1; CIH: 10 ± 1), and rostral ventrolateral medulla (CON: 5 ± 1; CIH: 17 ± 2). In the paraventricular nucleus, FosB/ΔFosB staining was located mainly in the dorsal and medial parvocellular subnuclei. CIH did not increase FosB/ΔFosB staining in caudal ventrolateral medulla or supraoptic nucleus. These data indicate that CIH induces an increase in FosB/ΔFosB in autonomic nuclei and suggest that AP-1 transcriptional regulation may contribute to stable adaptive changes that support chronically elevated SNA.


2006 ◽  
Vol 100 (4) ◽  
pp. 1117-1123 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shane A. Phillips ◽  
E. B. Olson ◽  
Julian H. Lombard ◽  
Barbara J. Morgan

Although arterial dilator reactivity is severely impaired during exposure of animals to chronic intermittent hypoxia (CIH), few studies have characterized vasoconstrictor responsiveness in resistance arteries of this model of sleep-disordered breathing. Sprague-Dawley rats were exposed to CIH (10% inspired O2 fraction for 1 min at 4-min intervals; 12 h/day) for 14 days. Control rats were housed under normoxic conditions. Diameters of isolated gracilis muscle resistance arteries (GA; 120–150 μm) were measured by television microscopy before and during exposure to norepinephrine (NE) and angiotensin II (ANG II) and at various intraluminal pressures between 20 and 140 mmHg in normal and Ca2+-free physiological salt solution. There was no difference in the ability of GA to constrict in response to ANG II ( P = 0.42; not significant; 10−10–10−7 M). However, resting tone, myogenic activation, and vasoconstrictor responses to NE ( P < 0.001; 10−9–10−6 M) were reduced in CIH vs. controls. Treatment of rats with the superoxide scavenger 4-hydroxy-2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine 1-oxyl (tempol; 1 mM) in the drinking water restored myogenic responses and NE-induced constrictions of CIH rats, suggesting that elevated superoxide production during exposure to CIH attenuates vasoconstrictor responsiveness to NE and myogenic activation in skeletal muscle resistance arteries. CIH also leads to an increased stiffness and reduced vessel wall distensibility that were not correctable with oral tempol treatment.


2013 ◽  
Vol 305 (9) ◽  
pp. R1031-R1039 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chandra Sekhar Bathina ◽  
Anuradha Rajulapati ◽  
Michelle Franzke ◽  
Kenta Yamamoto ◽  
J. Thomas Cunningham ◽  
...  

Noradrenergic A2 neurons in nucleus tractus solitarius (NTS) respond to stressors such as hypoxia. We hypothesize that tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) knockdown in NTS reduces cardiovascular responses to chronic intermittent hypoxia (CIH), a model of the arterial hypoxemia observed during sleep apnea in humans. Adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were implanted with radiotelemetry transmitters and adeno-associated viral constructs with green fluorescent protein (GFP) reporter having either short hairpin RNA (shRNA) for TH or scrambled virus (scRNA) were injected into caudal NTS. Virus-injected rats were exposed to 7 days of CIH (alternating periods of 10% O2 and of 21% O2 from 8 AM to 4 PM; from 4 PM to 8 AM rats were exposed to 21% O2). CIH increased mean arterial pressure (MAP) and heart rate (HR) during the day in both the scRNA ( n = 14, P < 0.001 MAP and HR) and shRNA ( n = 13, P < 0.001 MAP and HR) groups. During the night, MAP and HR remained elevated in the scRNA rats ( P < 0.001 MAP and HR) but not in the shRNA group. TH immunoreactivity and protein were reduced in the shRNA group. FosB/ΔFosB immunoreactivity was decreased in paraventricular nucleus (PVN) of shRNA group ( P < 0.001). However, the shRNA group did not show any change in the FosB/ΔFosB immunoreactivity in the rostral ventrolateral medulla. Exposure to CIH increased MAP which persisted beyond the period of exposure to CIH. Knockdown of TH in the NTS reduced this CIH-induced persistent increase in MAP and reduced the transcriptional activation of PVN. This indicates that NTS A2 neurons play a role in the cardiovascular responses to CIH.


Author(s):  
George E. Farmer ◽  
Joel T. Little ◽  
Alexandria B. Marciante ◽  
J. Thomas Cunningham

Chronic intermittent hypoxia (CIH) is associated with diurnal hypertension, increased sympathetic nerve activity (SNA), and increases in circulating angiotensin II (ANG II). In rats, CIH increases angiotensin type 1 (AT1a) receptor expression in the median preoptic nucleus (MnPO), and pharmacological blockade or viral knockdown of this receptor prevents CIH dependent increases in diurnal blood pressure. The current study investigates the role of AT1a receptor in modulating the activity of MnPO neurons following 7 days of CIH. Male Sprague-Dawley rats received MnPO injections of an adeno-associated virus with a shRNA against the AT1a receptor or a scrambled control. Rats were then exposed to CIH 8 h a day for 7 days. In vitro loose patch recordings of spontaneous action potential activity were made from labeled MnPO neurons in response to brief focal application of ANG II or the GABAA receptor agonist muscimol. Additionally, MnPO KCC2 protein expression was assessed using Western blot. CIH impaired the duration but not the magnitude of ANG II mediated excitation in the MnPO. Both CIH and AT1a knockdown also impaired GABAA mediated inhibition and CIH with AT1a knockdown produced GABAA mediated excitation. Recordings using the ratiometric Cl- indicator ClopHensorN showed CIH was associated with Cl- efflux in MnPO neurons that was associated with decreased KCC2 phosphorylation. The combination of CIH and AT1a knockdown attenuated reduced KCC2 phosphorylation seen with CIH alone. The current study shows that CIH, through the activity of AT1a receptors, can impair GABAA mediated inhibition in the MnPO contributing sustained hypertension.


2016 ◽  
Vol 2016 ◽  
pp. 1-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Esteban A. Moya ◽  
Paulina Arias ◽  
Carlos Varela ◽  
María P. Oyarce ◽  
Rodrigo Del Rio ◽  
...  

Oxidative stress is involved in the development of carotid body (CB) chemosensory potentiation and systemic hypertension induced by chronic intermittent hypoxia (CIH), the main feature of obstructive sleep apnea. We tested whether peroxynitrite (ONOO−), a highly reactive nitrogen species, is involved in the enhanced CB oxygen chemosensitivity and the hypertension during CIH. Accordingly, we studied effects of Ebselen, an ONOO−scavenger, on 3-nitrotyrosine immunoreactivity (3-NT-ir) in the CB, the CB chemosensory discharge, and arterial blood pressure (BP) in rats exposed to CIH. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were exposed to CIH (5% O2, 12 times/h, 8 h/day) for 7 days. Ebselen (10 mg/kg/day) was administrated using osmotic minipumps and BP measured with radiotelemetry. Compared to the sham animals, CIH-treated rats showed increased 3-NT-ir within the CB, enhanced CB chemosensory responses to hypoxia, increased BP response to acute hypoxia, and hypertension. Rats treated with Ebselen and exposed to CIH displayed a significant reduction in 3-NT-ir levels (60.8 ± 14.9 versus 22.9 ± 4.2 a.u.), reduced CB chemosensory response to 5% O2(266.5 ± 13.4 versus 168.6 ± 16.8 Hz), and decreased mean BP (116.9 ± 13.2 versus 82.1 ± 5.1 mmHg). Our results suggest that CIH-induced CB chemosensory potentiation and hypertension are critically dependent on ONOO−formation.


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