title: General redox environment and carotid body chemoreceptor function.
abstract: Carotid body (CB) chemoreceptor cells detect physiological levels of hypoxia and generate a hyperventilation, homeostatic in nature, aimed to minimize the deleterious effects of hypoxia. Intimate mechanisms involved in oxygen sensing in chemoreceptor cells remain largely unknown, but reactive oxygen species (ROS) had been proposed as mediators of this process. We have determined glutathione levels and calculated glutathione redox potential (E(GSH); indicator of the general redox environment of cells) in rat diaphragms incubated in the presence of oxidizing agents of two types: nonpermeating and permeating through cell membranes; in the latter group, unspecific oxidants and inhibitors of ROS-disposing enzymes were used. Selected concentrations of oxidizing agents were tested for their ability to modify the normoxic and hypoxic activity of chemoreceptor cells measured in vitro as their rate of release of neurotransmitters. Results evidence variable relationships between E(GSH) and the activity of chemoreceptor cells. The independence of chemoreceptor cell activity from the E(GSH) would imply that the ability of the CB to play its homeostatic role is largely preserved in any pathological or toxicological contingency causing oxidative stress. Consistent with this suggestion, it was also found that CB-mediated hypoxic hyperventilation was not altered by treatment of intact animals with agents that markedly decreased the E(GSH) in all tissues assayed.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular y Fisiología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Valladolid, E-47005 Valladolid, Spain.
authors.forename: Maria Teresa
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Agapito
authors.forename: Gloria
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Sanz-Alfayate
authors.forename: Angela
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gomez-Niño
authors.forename: Constancio
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Gonzalez
authors.forename: Ana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Obeso
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002344:Carotid Body / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D002395:Catecholamines / Q000378:metabolism*; D003964:Diaphragm / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000503:physiopathology; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology; D005260:Female; D005721:Glutamate-Cysteine Ligase / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000378:metabolism; D005978:Glutathione / Q000378:metabolism; D019803:Glutathione Disulfide / Q000378:metabolism; D005980:Glutathione Reductase / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000378:metabolism; D006706:Homeostasis; D000860:Hypoxia / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000503:physiopathology; D008297:Male; D016877:Oxidants / Q000494:pharmacology; D010084:Oxidation-Reduction; D018384:Oxidative Stress; D012123:Pulmonary Ventilation; D011817:Rabbits; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species / Q000378:metabolism*; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D002395:Catecholamines; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors; D016877:Oxidants; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species; D005980:Glutathione Reductase; D005721:Glutamate-Cysteine Ligase; D005978:Glutathione; D019803:Glutathione Disulfide