Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 18, 2026

Creating Defined Gaseous Environments to Study the Effects of Hypoxia on C. elegans
Published on: July 20, 2012
Oxygen and life span: chronic hypoxia as a model for studying HIF-1alpha, VEGF and NOS during aging
Camillo Di Giulio1, Giuseppina Bianchi, Marisa Cacchio
1Department of Biomedical Sciences, Via dei Vestini 31, G. d'Annunzio University, 66013 Chieti-Pescara, Italy. digiulio@unich.it
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.
Related Concept Videos
Hypoxia
Types of Hypoxia
There are four primary types of hypoxia, each resulting from a different cause:
1. Anemic hypoxia: This type occurs due to insufficient oxygen delivery caused by a lack of red blood cells (RBCs) or RBCs with abnormal or...
Regulation of Angiogenesis and Blood Supply
The Effect of Aging on Tissues
Oxygen Transport in the Blood
Treatment for Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension: Oxygen Therapy for Respiratory Failure
Oxygen therapy is vital in increasing and maintaining blood oxygen levels in PAH patients. As a result, it aids in reducing fatigue, improving...
Adaptive Mechanisms in Cancer Cells
Some of the advantages that cancer cells have on normal cells include - enhanced ability to divide without terminally differentiating, induce new blood vessel formation,...

