title: Effects of ouabain on respiratory rhythm generation in brainstem-spinal cord preparation from newborn rats and in decerebrate and arterially perfused in situ preparation from juvenile rats.
abstract: The significance of Na/K-ATPase on respiratory rhythm generation is not well understood. We investigated the effects of the Na/K-ATPase blocker, ouabain, on respiratory rhythm. Experiments were performed with brainstem-spinal cord preparation from 0 to 3-day-old Wistar rats and with decerebrate and arterially perfused in situ preparation from juvenile rats (postnatal day 11-13). Newborn rat preparations were superfused at a rate of 3.0 ml/min with artificial cerebrospinal fluid, equilibrated with 95% O2 and 5% CO2, pH 7.4, at 26-27 °C. Inspiratory activity was monitored from the fourth cervical ventral root (C4). Application of ouabain (15-20 min) resulted in a dose-dependent increase in the burst rate of C4 inspiratory activity. After washout, the burst rate further increased to reach quasi-maximum values under each condition (e.g. 183% of control in 1 μM, 253% in 10 μM, and 303% in 20 μM at 30 min washout). Inspiratory or pre-inspiratory neurons in the rostral ventrolateral medulla were depolarized. We obtained similar results (i.e. increased phrenic burst rate) in an in situ perfused preparation of juvenile rats. Genes encoding the Na/K-ATPase α subunit were expressed in the region of the parafacial respiratory group (pFRG) in neonatal rats, suggesting that cells (neurons and/or glias) in the pFRG were one of the targets of ouabain. We concluded that Na/K-ATPase activity could be an important factor in respiratory rhythm modulation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, Showa University School of Medicine, Tokyo 142-8555, Japan.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Tsuzawa
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy, Showa University School of Medicine, Tokyo 142-8555, Japan.
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Yazawa
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, Showa University School of Medicine, Tokyo 142-8555, Japan.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Shakuo
authors.affiliation: Division of Biology, Hyogo College of Medicine, 1-1 Mukogawa-cho, Nishinomiya, Hyogo 663-8501, Japan.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ikeda
authors.affiliation: Division of Biology, Center for Molecular Medicine, Jichi Medical University, Shimotsuke, Tochigi 329-0498, Japan.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kawakami
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, Showa University School of Medicine, Tokyo 142-8555, Japan. Electronic address: oni@med.showa-u.ac.jp.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Onimaru
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology; D008526:Medulla Oblongata / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D009474:Neurons / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D010042:Ouabain / Q000494:pharmacology; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D012119:Respiration / Q000187:drug effects; D000254:Sodium-Potassium-Exchanging ATPase / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D013116:Spinal Cord / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors; D010042:Ouabain; D000254:Sodium-Potassium-Exchanging ATPase
keywords: Na/K-ATPase; ouabain; respiratory rhythm