Chronic hyperoxic deactivation of peripheral chemoreceptors in spontaneously hypertensive rats: Does it lower arterial pressure?

We hypothetized that spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs) exposed to chronic intermittent hyperoxia should reduce the high baseline arterial pressure (hypertension) observed in these animals. The rational for this study was based-upon the known overactivity of carotid chemoreceptors in SHR and their significant contribution to the maintenance of an increased sympathetic outflow and hypertension. To test this hypothesis, we exposed SHR and Wistar Kyoto rats (WKY, control) to intermittent hyperoxia (IH, FIO₂ increase from 20.8 to 30 % in 6 cycles/h) 8 h a day during 10 days. Systolic arterial pressure was evaluated every 2 days by tail plethysmography. At the end of the protocols the rats were anesthetized and catheters implanted for arterial pressure recordings and drug injections 24 hs later in the conscious freely moving condition. Respiratory frequency was evaluated by whole body plethysmography before and after the IH protocol and the cardiovascular and respiratory responses to peripheral chemoreflex activation (KCN) were evaluated one day after the end of protocol. Arterial blood samples were collected one day after the end of protocols for gas evaluation. The data shows that IH produced no significant change in mean arterial pressure of SHR [159 ± 9.02 (N = 4) vs 153 ± 7.85 mmHg (N = 7)] or WKY [115 ± 6.08 (N = 5) vs 111 ± 7.66 (N = 6) mmHg)] relative to their respective normoxic control. Since IH produced no changes in the cardiovascular parameters we propose that IH treatment protocol was not effective in reducing the overactivity of glomus cells in the carotid body of SHR.