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Experimental Approach to Examine Leptin Signaling in the Carotid Bodies and its Effects on Control of Breathing
Published on: October 25, 2019
Carotid body hypersensitivity in intermittent hypoxia and obtructive sleep apnoea
Nanduri R Prabhakar1, Ying-Jie Peng1, Jayasri Nanduri1
1Institute for Integrative Physiology and Center for Systems Biology of O2 Sensing, Biological Sciences Division, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA.
Abstract:
Carotid bodies are the principal sensory organs for detecting changes in arterial blood oxygen concentration, and the carotid body chemoreflex is a major regulator of the sympathetic tone, blood pressure and breathing. Intermittent hypoxia is a hallmark manifestation of obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA), which is a widespread respiratory disorder. In the first part of this review, we discuss the role of carotid bodies in heightened sympathetic tone and hypertension in rodents treated with intermittent hypoxia, and the underlying cellular, molecular and epigenetic mechanisms. We also present evidence for hitherto-uncharacterized role of carotid body afferents in triggering cellular and molecular changes induced by intermittent hypoxia. In the second part of the review, we present evidence for a contribution of a hypersensitive carotid body to OSA and potential therapeutic intervention to mitigate OSA in a murine model.
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