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Electrophysiology on Isolated Brainstem-spinal Cord Preparations from Newborn Rodents Allows Neural Respiratory Network Output Recording
Published on: November 19, 2015
[Involvement of endogenous carbon monoxide in regulation of respiratory rhythm in vitro]
Wen-Xing Yang1, Qi-Lan Zhang, Hai-Yan Hu
1Department of Physiology, West China School of Preclinical and Forensic Medicine, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China.
Abstract:
The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of endogenous carbon monoxide (CO) on respiratory rhythm. The experiments were carried out on the medullary slices of newborn Sprague-Dawley rats. The rhythmic discharge frequency (DF) of hypoglossal rootlets was taken as an index of rhythmic respiratory activity. The slices of medulla oblongata were superfused with ZnPP-9 (inhibitor of heme oxygenase), CO and hemin (substrate of heme oxygenase), respectively, to observe their effects on respiratory rhythm. The preparations were divided into 5 groups: control group of artificial cerebrospinal fluid (ACSF), group of ZnPP-9, group of exogenous CO, group of hemin and group of ZnPP-9 + hemin. The results obtained were as follows. In ZnPP-9 group, the rhythmic DF of the hypoglossal rootlets was increased (P<0.05); while in exogenous CO group, it was decreased (P<0.05). In the groups of hemin and ZnPP-9 + hemin, the rhythmic DF of the hypoglossal rootlets was increased (P<0.05). It is suggested that endogenous CO may play an important role in the regulation of respiratory rhythm.
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