title: Selected Contribution: Improved anoxic tolerance in rat diaphragm following intermittent hypoxia.
abstract: Intermittent hypoxia (IH), associated with obstructive sleep apnea, initiates adaptive physiological responses in a variety of organs. Little is known about its influence on diaphragm. IH was simulated by exposing rats to alternating 15-s cycles of 5% O2 and 21% O2 for 5 min, 9 sets/h, 8 h/day, for 10 days. Controls did not experience IH. Diaphragms were excised 20-36 h after IH. Diaphragm bundles were studied in vitro or analyzed for myosin heavy chain isoform composition. No differences in maximum tetanic stress were observed between groups. However, peak twitch stress (P < 0.005), twitch half-relaxation time (P < 0.02), and tetanic stress at 20 or 30 Hz (P < 0.05) were elevated in IH. No differences in expression of myosin heavy chain isoforms or susceptibility to fatigue were seen. Contractile function after 30 min of anoxia (95% N2-5% CO2) was markedly preserved at all stimulation frequencies during IH and at low frequencies after 15 min of reoxygenation. Anoxia-induced increases in passive muscle force were eliminated in the IH animals (P < 0.01). These results demonstrate that IH induces adaptive responses in the diaphragm that preserve its function in anoxia.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, The Dorothy Davis Heart and Lung Research Institute, Columbus, Ohio 43210, USA. clanton.1@osu.edu
authors.forename: T L
authors.initials: TL
authors.lastname: Clanton
authors.forename: V P
authors.initials: VP
authors.lastname: Wright
authors.forename: P J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Reiser
authors.forename: P F
authors.initials: PF
authors.lastname: Klawitter
authors.forename: N R
authors.initials: NR
authors.lastname: Prabhakar
mesh_terms: D000222:Adaptation, Physiological; D000818:Animals; D003964:Diaphragm / Q000503:physiopathology*; D004558:Electric Stimulation; D000860:Hypoxia / Q000503:physiopathology*; D007700:Kinetics; D008297:Male; D009119:Muscle Contraction / Q000502:physiology; D018763:Muscle Fatigue / Q000502:physiology; D018995:Myosin Heavy Chains / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D012891:Sleep Apnea Syndromes / Q000503:physiopathology
chemical_list: D018995:Myosin Heavy Chains