RT info:eu-repo/semantics/article T1 Age protects from harmful effects produced by chronic intermittent hypoxia A1 Quintero Coca, Miguel A1 Olea Fraile, Elena A1 Conde, Silvia V. A1 Gallego Martín, Teresa A1 González, C. A1 González, Constancio A1 Montserrat, Josep M. A1 Gómez Niño, María Ángeles A1 Yubero Benito, Sara A1 Agapito Serrano, María Teresa K1 Intermittent hypoxia K1 Hipoxia intermitente K1 Sleep apnoea K1 Apnea del sueño AB Obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) affects an estimated 3–7% of the adult population, the frequency doubling at ages >60–65 years. As it evolves, OSA becomes frequently associated with cardiovascular, metabolic and neuropsychiatric pathologies defining OSA syndrome (OSAS). Exposing experimental animals to chronic intermittent hypoxia (CIH) can be used as a model of the recurrent hypoxic and O2 desaturation patterns observed in OSA patients. CIH is an important OSA event triggering associated pathologies; CIH induces carotid body (CB)-driven exaggerated sympathetic tone and overproduction of reactive oxygen species, related to the pathogenic mechanisms of associated pathologies observed in OSAS. Aiming to discover why OSAS is clinically less conspicuous in aged patients, the present study compares CIH effects in young (3–4 months) and aged (22–24 months) rats. To define potential distinctive patterns of these pathogenic mechanisms, mean arterial blood pressure as the final CIH outcome was measured. In young rats, CIH augmented CB sensory responses to hypoxia, decreased hypoxic ventilation and augmented sympathetic activity (plasma catecholamine levels and renal artery content and synthesis rate). An increased brainstem integration of CB sensory input as a trigger of sympathetic activity is suggested. CIH also caused an oxidative status decreasing aconitase/fumarase ratio and superoxide dismutase activity. In aged animals, CIH minimally affected CB responses, ventilation and sympathetic-related parameters leaving redox status unaltered. In young animals, CIH caused hypertension and in aged animals, whose baseline blood pressure was augmented, CIH did not augment it further. Plausible mechanisms of the differences and potential significance of these findings for the diagnosis and therapy of OSAS are discussed. PB The Physiological Society SN 1469-7793 YR 2016 FD 2016 LK https://uvadoc.uva.es/handle/10324/46963 UL https://uvadoc.uva.es/handle/10324/46963 LA eng NO The Journal of Physiology, 2016, vol. 594, n. 6. p. 1773–1790 NO Producción Científica DS UVaDOC RD 27-nov-2024