Antioxidation and the Hypoxic Ventilatory Response

Reactive oxygen species favor the reductive state of iron. Antioxidation, by depleting biologically active ferrous iron, could then have a stabilizing effect, akin to hypoxia, on HIF-1α; the process which controls the genetic responses to hypoxia. However, the influence of antioxidation on the hypoxic ventilatory responses (HVR) is unclear. In this study we set out to determine the influence of mangiferin, a natural polyphenolic compound present in mango trees, with strong antioxidant and iron chelating properties, on the HVR. The study was performed in awake Wistar rats. Acute HVR to 12% and 8% FiO2 before and 40 min after mangiferin (300 mg/kg, i.p.) pretreatment were recorded plethysmogr…

Hypoxic Ventilatory Reactivity in Experimental Diabetes

Diabetes, apart from generalized neuropathy and microangiopathy, involves tissue hypoxia, which may drive chronic proinflammatory state. However, studies on the ventilatory control in diabetes are sparse and conflicting. In this study we examined the function and morphology of diabetic carotid bodies (CBs). Diabetes was evoked in Wistar rats with streptozotocin (70 mg/kg, i.p.). The acute hypoxic ventilatory responses (HVR) to 12 and 8 % O(2) were investigated in conscious untreated rats after 2 and 4 weeks in a plethysmographic chamber. CBs were dissected and subjected to morphologic investigations: (1) electron transmission microscopy for ultrastructure and (2) laser scanning confocal mic…

Development and Aging Are Oxygen-Dependent and Correlate with VEGF and NOS along Life Span

During development and aging, vascular remodeling represents a critical adaptive response to modifications in oxygen supply to tissues. Hypoxia inducible factor (HIF) has a crucial role and is modulated by oxygen levels, with an age-dependent response in neonates, adult, and aged people. ROS are generated under hypoxic conditions and the accumulation of free radicals during life reduces the ability of tissues to their removal. In this immunohistochemical study we investigated the presence and localization of VEGF and iNOS in human carotid bodies (CB) sampled at autopsy from three children (mean age – 2 years), four adult young subjects (mean age – 44.3 years), and four old subjects (mean ag…

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