title: Oxygen and life span: chronic hypoxia as a model for studying HIF-1alpha, VEGF and NOS during aging.
abstract: To test if oxygen sensitive mechanisms are affected by hypoxia, we studied hypoxia inducible factor-1alpha (HIF-1alpha), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) expression by immunohistochemical analysis in young and old rat carotid bodies (CBs) using hypoxia as a model for modulating aging. Four groups of male age-matched Wistar rats (3 and 24 months) were used. Two groups were kept in room air, and two groups were kept under chronic intermittent hypoxia for 12 days. In aged carotid body and in hypoxia the increased expression of HIF-1alpha, VEGF, iNOS is less evident as compared to the young one. Electron microscopy sections showed a reduced mitochondrial number and area in the aged CBs and during hypoxia. Less responsiveness to hypoxia could be evidenced in the aged rats as compared to the young rats, suggesting an age dependency of the oxygen sensitive mechanisms.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Sciences, Via dei Vestini 31, G. d'Annunzio University, 66013 Chieti-Pescara, Italy. digiulio@unich.it
authors.forename: Camillo
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Di Giulio
authors.forename: Giuseppina
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Bianchi
authors.forename: Marisa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cacchio
authors.forename: Luciano
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Artese
authors.forename: Cinzia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Rapino
authors.forename: Maria Antonietta
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Macrì
authors.forename: Carmine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Di Ilio
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging; D000818:Animals; D002344:Carotid Body / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology / Q000648:ultrastructure; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D000860:Hypoxia / Q000503:physiopathology*; D051793:Hypoxia-Inducible Factor 1; D051795:Hypoxia-Inducible Factor 1, alpha Subunit; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008297:Male; D046529:Microscopy, Electron, Transmission; D008928:Mitochondria / Q000473:pathology / Q000648:ultrastructure; D023421:Models, Animal; D019001:Nitric Oxide Synthase / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D009687:Nuclear Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A / Q000096:biosynthesis*
chemical_list: D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; C497444:Hif1a protein, rat; D051793:Hypoxia-Inducible Factor 1; D051795:Hypoxia-Inducible Factor 1, alpha Subunit; D009687:Nuclear Proteins; D014157:Transcription Factors; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A; D019001:Nitric Oxide Synthase