Enhanced carotid body chemosensory activity and the cardiovascular alterations induced by intermittent hypoxia

Iturriaga R.; Andrade, DC; Del Rio R.

Keywords: oxidative stress, carotid body, hypertension, intermittent hypoxia, autonomic dysfunction

Abstract

The carotid body (CB) plays a main role in the maintenance of the oxygen homeostasis. The hypoxic stimulation of the CB increases the chemosensory discharge, which in turn elicits reflex sympathetic, cardiovascular, and ventilatory adjustments. An exacerbate carotid chemosensory activity has been associated with human sympathetic-mediated diseases such as hypertension, insulin resistance, heart failure, and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Indeed, the CB chemosensory discharge becomes tonically hypereactive in experimental models of OSA and heart failure. Chronic intermittent hypoxia (CIH), a main feature of OSA, enhances CB chemosensory baseline discharges in normoxia and in response to hypoxia, inducing sympathetic overactivity and hypertension. Oxidative stress, increased levels of ET-1, Angiotensin II and pro-inflammatory cytokines, along with a reduced production of NO in the CB, have been associated with the enhanced carotid chemosensory activity. In this review, we will discuss new evidence supporting a main role for the CB chemoreceptor in the autonomic and cardiorespiratory alterations induced by intermittent hypoxia, as well as the molecular mechanisms involved in the CB chemosensory potentiation.

Más información

Título según WOS: Enhanced carotid body chemosensory activity and the cardiovascular alterations induced by intermittent hypoxia
Título según SCOPUS: Enhanced carotid body chemosensory activity and the cardiovascular alterations induced by intermittent hypoxia
Título de la Revista: FRONTIERS IN PHYSIOLOGY
Volumen: 5
Número: Nov
Editorial: FRONTIERS MEDIA SA
Fecha de publicación: 2014
Idioma: English
DOI:

10.3389/fphys.2014.00468

Notas: ISI, SCOPUS