Effects of different hypoxia exposure on myeloid-derived suppressor cells in mice

For many people living at high altitudes for long or short periods of time, hypoxia is a challenge affecting many aspects of the body, including the immune system. Recently, myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) have emerged as an immune cell population that plays an important role in several pathological conditions. However, to the best of our knowledge, there are no data regarding the behavior of MDSCs under hypoxic conditions. Therefore, the aim of this study is to investigate the monocytic type (M)- and polymorphonuclear type (PMN)-MDSC ratios in different hypoxic conditions to reveal the relationship between MDSCs and high-altitude hypoxia, as well as to determine whether MDSCs are involved in the regulation of the immune balance under hypoxic conditions as immunosuppressive factors. For the first time, we showed that MDSC abundance varies under different lengths of hypoxic exposure. We found that acute normobaric hypoxia led to an initial increase in the number of M-MDSCs, which decreased within 30 d. Both M- and PMN-MDSC ratios initially decreased under hypobaric hypoxia conditions within 30 d, but after 6 months in the real high altitude environment, M-MDSC ratio increased significantly. In summary, our data suggest that different hypoxic conditions influence MDSCs in mice, thereby contributing to a better understanding of the process of hypoxia adaptation and the occurrence and development of high-altitude disease.