Influence of 30 and 60 Min of Hypobaric Hypoxia in Simulated Altitude of 15,000 ft on Human Proteome Profile

The human body reacts to hypobaric hypoxia, e.g., during a stay at high altitude, with several mechanisms of adaption. Even short-time exposition to hypobaric hypoxia leads to complex adaptions. Proteomics facilitates the possibility to detect changes in metabolism due to changes in proteins. The present study aims to identify time-dependent changes in protein expression due to hypobaric hypoxia for 30 and 60 min at a simulated altitude of 15,000 ft. N = 80 male subjects were randomized and assigned into four different groups: 40 subjects to ground control for 30 (GC30) and 60 min (GC60) and 40 subjects to 15,000 ft for 30 (HH30) and 60 min (HH60). Subjects in HH30 and HH60 were exposed to hypobaric hypoxia in a pressure chamber (total pressure: 572 hPa) equivalent to 15,000 ft for 30 vs. 60 min, respectively. Drawn blood was centrifuged and plasma frozen (-80 °C) until proteomic analysis. After separation of high abundant proteins, protein expression was analyzed by 2-DIGE and MALDI-TOF. To visualize the connected signaling cascade, a bio-informatical network analysis was performed. The present study was approved by the ethical committee of the University of Cologne, Germany. The study registry number is NCT03823677. In comparing HH30 to GC30, a total of seven protein spots had a doubled expression, and 22 spots had decreased gene expression. In a comparison of HH60 to GC60, a total of 27 protein spots were significantly higher expressed. HH60, as compared to GC30, revealed that a total of 37 spots had doubled expression. Vice versa, 12 spots were detected, which were higher expressed in GC30 vs. HH60. In comparison to GC, HH60 had distinct differences in the number of differential protein spots (noticeably more proteins due to longer exposure to hypoxia). There are indicators that changes in proteins are dependent on the length of hypobaric hypoxia. Some proteins associated with hemostasis were differentially expressed in the 60 min comparison.