Mitochondria are implicated in rat heart adaptation to chronic hypoxia

ZAOBORNYJ T; VALDEZ LB; COSTA LE; GONZALES GF; BOVERIS A

Proceedings of the XIII Biennial Meeting of the Society for Free Radical Research

Monduzzi Editore SpA - Medimond Inc

Lugar: Bologna, Italy; Año: 2006; p. 345 - 348

Rats were submitted to (a) simulated (5,000 m, 53.8 kPa, 74 wks); or (b) natural (4,340 m, 61.3 kPa, 84 d) chronic hypoxia. (a) Adapted rats showed 20-60% increased mtNOS activity, retardation of age-related decline in contractility and improved recovery after hypoxia-reoxygenation. (b) Adapted animals exhibited gain weight arrest, right ventricle hypertrophy (128%, t½=26 d) and increased hematocrit (40%, t½=11 d). Heart mtNOS activity and expression resulted 70% (t½=19 d) and  60% enhanced and mtNOS activity was linearly related to hematocrit (R2=0.88, P£0.05). Chronic hypoxia triggers a response in which mtNOS up-regulation is involved.