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Updated: Apr 14, 2026

Experimental Approach to Examine Leptin Signaling in the Carotid Bodies and its Effects on Control of Breathing
Published on: October 25, 2019
Peripheral chemoreception and arterial pressure responses to intermittent hypoxia
Nanduri R Prabhakar1, Ying-Jie Peng, Ganesh K Kumar
1Institute for Integrative Physiology and Center for Systems Biology for O2 Sensing, Biological Sciences Division, University of Chicago, Illinois, USA.
Abstract:
Carotid bodies are the principal peripheral chemoreceptors for detecting changes in arterial blood oxygen levels, and the resulting chemoreflex is a potent regulator of blood pressure. Recurrent apnea with intermittent hypoxia (IH) is a major clinical problem in adult humans and infants born preterm. Adult patients with recurrent apnea exhibit heightened sympathetic nerve activity and hypertension. Adults born preterm are predisposed to early onset of hypertension. Available evidence suggests that carotid body chemoreflex contributes to hypertension caused by IH in both adults and neonates. Experimental models of IH provided important insights into cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying carotid body chemoreflex-mediated hypertension. This article provides a comprehensive appraisal of how IH affects carotid body function, underlying cellular, molecular, and epigenetic mechanisms, and the contribution of chemoreflex to the hypertension.
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