Involvement of endogenous central hydrogen sulfide (HS) in hypoxia-induced hypothermia in spontaneously hypertensive rats.

Spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) display autonomic imbalance and abnormal body temperature (Tb) adjustments. Hydrogen sulfide (HS) modulates hypoxia-induced hypothermia, but its role in SHR thermoregulation is unknown. We tested the hypothesis that SHR display peculiar thermoregulatory response to hypoxia and that endogenous HS overproduced in the caudal nucleus of the solitary tract (NTS) of SHR modulates this response.