title: Different effect of l-NAME treatment on susceptibility to decompression sickness in male and female rats.
abstract: Vascular bubble formation results from supersaturation during inadequate decompression contributes to endothelial injuries, which form the basis for the development of decompression sickness (DCS). Risk factors for DCS include increased age, weight-fat mass, decreased maximal oxygen uptake, chronic diseases, dehydration, and nitric oxide (NO) bioavailability. Production of NO is often affected by diving and its expression-activity varies between the genders. Little is known about the influence of sex on the risk of DCS. To study this relationship we used an animal model of Nω-nitro-l-arginine methyl ester (l-NAME) to induce decreased NO production. Male and female rats with diverse ages and weights were divided into 2 groups: treated with l-NAME (in tap water; 0.05 mg·mL(-1) for 7 days) and a control group. To control the distribution of nitrogen among tissues, 2 different compression-decompression protocols were used. Results showed that l-NAME was significantly associated with increased DCS in female rats (p = 0.039) only. Weight was significant for both sexes (p = 0.01). The protocol with the highest estimated tissue pressures in the slower compartments was 2.6 times more likely to produce DCS than the protocol with the highest estimated tissue pressures in faster compartments. The outcome of this study had significantly different susceptibility to DCS after l-NAME treatment between the sexes, while l-NAME per se had no effect on the likelihood of DCS. The analysis also showed that for the appearance of DCS, the most significant factors were type of protocol and weight.
authors.affiliation: a Laboratoire ORPHY, UFR Sciences et Techniques, Université de Bretagne Occidentale, 6 Av. Le Gorgeu, CS 93837 29238 BREST Cedex, France.
authors.forename: Aleksandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mazur
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Buzzacott
authors.forename: Kate
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Lambrechts
authors.forename: Qiong
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Marc
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Belhomme
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Theron
authors.forename: Georgi
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Popov
authors.forename: Giovanni
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Distefano
authors.forename: Francois
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Guerrero
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003665:Decompression Sickness / Q000517:prevention & control*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D019331:NG-Nitroarginine Methyl Ester / Q000494:pharmacology*; D009569:Nitric Oxide / Q000378:metabolism; D011897:Random Allocation; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D012307:Risk Factors
chemical_list: D009569:Nitric Oxide; D019331:NG-Nitroarginine Methyl Ester
keywords: animal model; biodisponibilité de l’oxyde nitrique; diving; facteurs de risque; hyperbare; hyperbaric exposure; mal de décompression; nitric oxide bioavailability; plongée; rat; risk factors; sex; sexe