Physiological carotid body denervation during aging

Aging is characterized by a lower homeostatic capacity and the carotid body (CB) plays an important role during aging. Here, we sought to elucidate whether the aging effects on the oxygen-sensitive mechanisms in CB cells occur through a reduction of the contact surfaces in the synaptic junctions. The hypothesis was that the CB would undergo a "physiological denervation" in old age. Two groups of male Wistar rats, young (2-3 months old) and senescent (22 months old) were used. CBs were rapidly dissected and the specimens were subjected to a routine transmission electron microscopic procedure. Expressions of HIF-1 proportional, variant, VEGF and NOS-1 were evaluated by immunohistochemical analysis. Our results show that in the old CB, HIF-1 proportional, variant, VEGF and NOS-1 expressions decrease. The cell volume, the number of mitochondria and that of dense-cored vesicles were reduced, and the nucleus shrank. There also was an accumulation of lipofuscin and a proliferation of extracellular matrix. Most importantly, there were fewer synaptic connections between chemoreceptor cells. The total number of synapses observed in all electronograms decreased from 125 in the young to 28 in the old CB. These results suggest the aging CB undergoes a "physiological denervation" leading to a reduction in homeostatic capacity. The age-related reduction of synaptic junctions may be a self-protective mechanism through which cells buffer themselves against reactive oxygen species accumulation during aging.