title: Two-week normobaric intermittent hypoxia exposures enhance oxyhemoglobin equilibrium and cardiac responses during hypoxemia.
abstract: Intermittent hypoxia (IH) is extensively applied to challenge cardiovascular and respiratory function, and to induce physiological acclimatization. The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that oxyhemoglobin equilibrium and tachycardiac responses during hypoxemia were enhanced after 14-day IH exposures. Normobaric-poikilocapnic hypoxia was induced with inhalation of 10% O2 for 5-6 min interspersed with 4 min recovery on eight nonsmokers. Heart rate (HR), arterial O2 saturation (SaO 2), and end-tidal O2 (PetO 2) were continuously monitored during cyclic normoxia and hypoxia. These variables were compared during the first and fifth hypoxic bouts between day 1 and day 14. There was a rightward shift in the oxyhemoglobin equilibrium response following 14-day IH exposures, as indicated by the greater PetO 2 (an index of arterial Po2) at 50% of SaO 2 on day 14 compared with day 1 [33.9 ± 1.5 vs. 28.2 ± 1.3 mmHg (P = 0.005) during the first hypoxic bout and 39.4 ± 2.4 vs. 31.4 ± 1.5 mmHg (P = 0.006) during the fifth hypoxic bout] and by the augmented gains of ΔSaO 2/ΔPetO 2 (i.e., deoxygenation) during PetO 2 from 65 to 40 mmHg in the first (1.12 ± 0.08 vs. 0.80 ± 0.02%/mmHg, P = 0.001) and the fifth (1.76 ± 0.31 vs. 1.05 ± 0.06%/mmHg, P = 0.024) hypoxic bouts. Repetitive IH exposures attenuated (P = 0.049) the tachycardiac response to hypoxia while significantly enhancing normoxic R-R interval variability in low-frequency and high-frequency spectra without changes in arterial blood pressure at rest or during hypoxia. We conclude that 14-day IH exposures enhance arterial O2 delivery and improve vagal control of HR during hypoxic hypoxemia.
authors: Department of Integrative Physiology, University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth, Fort Worth, Texas; Beijing Sport University, Beijing, China.
authors: Peizhen
authors: P
authors: Zhang
authors: Department of Integrative Physiology, University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth, Fort Worth, Texas; Cardiovascular Research Institute, University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth, Fort Worth, Texas; and.
authors: H Fred
authors: HF
authors: Downey
authors: Department of Biostatistics, University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth, Fort Worth, Texas;
authors: Shande
authors: S
authors: Chen
authors: Department of Integrative Physiology, University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth, Fort Worth, Texas; Cardiovascular Research Institute, University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth, Fort Worth, Texas; and xiangrong.shi@unthsc.edu.
authors: Xiangrong
authors: X
authors: Shi
mesh_terms: D000064:Acclimatization; D000328:Adult; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D002628:Chemoreceptor Cells / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D006339:Heart Rate; D006801:Humans; D000860:Hypoxia / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications* / Q000503:physiopathology; D008297:Male; D010100:Oxygen / Q000097:blood; D010108:Oxyhemoglobins / Q000378:metabolism*; D013610:Tachycardia / Q000097:blood / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000517:prevention & control; D013997:Time Factors; D014630:Vagus Nerve / Q000503:physiopathology; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D010108:Oxyhemoglobins; D010100:Oxygen
keywords: arterial blood pressure; arterial oxygen saturation; chemoreflex; heart rate variability; oxygen dissociation