Effects of Zinc on the Right Cardiovascular Circuit in Long-Term Hypobaric Hypoxia in Wistar Rats.

Hypobaric hypoxia under chromic conditions triggers hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction (HPV) and right ventricular hypertrophy (RVH). The role of zinc (Zn) under hypoxia is controversial and remains unclear. We evaluated the effect of Zn supplementation in prolonged hypobaric hypoxia on HIF2α/MTF-1/MT/ZIP12/PKCε pathway in the lung and RVH.

The Long-Term Pannexin 1 Ablation Produces Structural and Functional Modifications in Hippocampal Neurons.

Enhanced activity and overexpression of Pannexin 1 (Panx1) channels contribute to neuronal pathologies such as epilepsy and Alzheimer's disease (AD). The Panx1 channel ablation alters the hippocampus's glutamatergic neurotransmission, synaptic plasticity, and memory flexibility. Nevertheless, Panx1-knockout (Panx1-KO) mice still retain the ability to learn, suggesting that compensatory mechanisms stabilize their neuronal activity.

Involvement of overweight and lipid metabolism in the development of pulmonary hypertension under conditions of chronic intermittent hypoxia.

There is growing evidence that exposure to hypoxia, regardless of the source, elicits several metabolic responses in individuals. These responses are constitutive and are usually observed under hypoxia but vary according to the type of exposure. The aim of this review was to describe the involvement of obesity and lipid metabolism in the development of high-altitude pulmonary hypertension and in the development of acute mountain sickness under chronic intermittent hypoxia.

Lower Body Weight in Rats Under Hypobaric Hypoxia Exposure Would Lead to Reduced Right Ventricular Hypertrophy and Increased AMPK Activation.

Background: Both chronic hypoxia (CH) and long-term chronic intermittent hypoxia (CIH) exposure lead to right ventricular hypertrophy (RVH). Weight loss is an effective intervention to improve cardiac function and energy metabolism in cardiac hypertrophy. Likewise, caloric restriction (CR) also plays an important role in this cardioprotection through AMPK activation.

Long-Term Chronic Intermittent Hypobaric Hypoxia Induces Glucose Transporter (GLUT4) Translocation Through AMP-Activated Protein Kinase (AMPK) in the Soleus Muscle in Lean Rats.

In chronic hypoxia (CH) and short-term chronic intermittent hypoxia (CIH) exposure, glycemia and insulin levels decrease and insulin sensitivity increases, which can be explained by changes in glucose transport at skeletal muscles involving GLUT1, GLUT4, Akt, and AMPK, as well as GLUT4 translocation to cell membranes. However, during long-term CIH, there is no information regarding whether these changes occur similarly or differently than in other types of hypoxia exposure. This study evaluated the levels of AMPK and Akt and the location of GLUT4 in the soleus muscles of lean rats exposed to long-term CIH, CH, and normoxia (NX) and compared the findings.

Adventitial alterations are the main features in pulmonary artery remodeling due to long-term chronic intermittent hypobaric hypoxia in rats.

Long-term chronic intermittent exposure to altitude hypoxia is a labor phenomenon requiring further research. Using a rat model, we examined whether this type of exposure differed from chronic exposure in terms of pulmonary artery remodeling and other features. Rats were subjected to chronic hypoxia (CH, n = 9) and long-term intermittent hypoxia (CIH2x2; 2 days of hypoxia/2 days of normoxia, n = 10) in a chamber (428 Torr, 4,600 m of altitude) for 46 days and compared to rats under normoxia (NX, n = 10).