Effects of exposure to a simulated altitude of 5500 m on energy metabolic pathways in rats.

We examined the effect of exposure to 5500 m on three closely related metabolic pathways: anaerobic glycolysis, the pentose phosphate shunt (PPS), and fatty acid metabolism. Rats were exposed to simulated altitude of 5500 m for up to 3 months. The maximal rate of lactate production in tissue homogenates, tissue lactic acid dehydrogenase and blood lactate levels were measured to evaluate the capacity for anaerobic glycolysis. The uptake of 14C-1-palmitate, oxidation of 14C-1-palmitate to 14CO2, incorporation of 14C-1-palmitate into tissue lipids, plasma and tissue free fatty acids (FFA) levels and total lipid contents were measured to assess the magnitude of lipid metabolism. Activities of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G-6-PD) and 6-phophogluconate dehydrogenase (6-PGD) in the PPS pathway were measured to assess the capacity to generate reducing power. Acute and chronic hypoxia did not affect most of the measurements of anaerobic glycolysis, but depressed lactate production in liver and kidney. Chronic hypoxia enhanced all aspects of lipid metabolism in liver and enhanced the uptake and oxidation to CO2 of palmitate in skeletal muscle. Chronic hypoxia did not alter the activity of the G-6-PD in any tissue studied, but the activity of 6-PGD was depressed in heart, kidney, thymus and adrenal gland. The lack of major changes in the capacities of anaerobic glycolytic pathways and the activities of the PPS dehydrogenases is consistent with the maintenance of normal aerobic metabolism in rats at 5500 m. We found no evidence that anaerobic metabolic processes were upregulated to sustain energy consumption during chronic hypoxia. On the other hand, enhanced fatty acid metabolism may spare carbohydrate for metabolic fuel under conditions of extreme hypoxic limitation.

The role of endothelin-1 in strain-related susceptibility to develop hypoxic pulmonary hypertension in rats.

The Hilltop (H) strain compared to the Madison (M) strain of Sprague-Dawley rats develops severe pulmonary hypertension in response to chronic hypoxia. We tested the hypothesis that endothelin-1 (ET-1) contributes to these strain-related differences. Plasma ET-1 content was not modified by chronic hypoxia in either strain. The lung ET-1 peptide and preproET-1 mRNA content were significantly increased to the same magnitude in both strains at 2 and 3 weeks of hypoxia. The ET(A) receptor mRNA increased more at 3 weeks of hypoxia in the lungs of H rats than in M rats, but not at other time points. The ET(B) receptor mRNA was not modified by hypoxia in either strain. After 3 days of normoxic recovery following 2 weeks of hypoxia, ET-1 protein and mRNA levels decreased to baseline levels in both rat strains. We conclude that ET-1 does not contribute to the development of cardiopulmonary differences between the H and M strains in response to hypoxia.

Role of the spleen in the exaggerated polycythemic response to hypoxia in chronic mountain sickness in rats.

In a rat model of chronic mountain sickness, the excessive polycythemic response to hypoxic exposure is associated with profound splenic erythropoiesis. We studied the uptake and distribution of radioactive iron and red blood cell (RBC) morphology in intact and splenectomized rats over a 30-day hypoxic exposure. Retention of (59)Fe in the plasma was correlated with (59)Fe uptake by both spleen and marrow and the appearance of (59)Fe-labeled RBCs in the blood. (59)Fe uptake in both the spleen and the marrow paralleled the production of nucleated RBCs. Splenic (59)Fe uptake was approximately 10% of the total marrow uptake under normoxic conditions but increased to 60% of the total marrow uptake during hypoxic exposure. Peak splenic (59)Fe uptake and splenomegaly occurred at the most intense phase of erythropoiesis and coincided with the rapid appearance of (59)Fe-labeled RBCs in the blood. The bone marrow remains the most important erythropoietic organ under both resting and stimulated states, but inordinate splenic erythropoiesis in this rat strain accounts in large measure for the excessive polycythemia during the development of chronic mountain sickness in chronic hypoxia.

Differences in acute hypoxic pulmonary vasoresponsiveness between rat strains: role of endothelium.

Intact Madison (M) rats have greater pulmonary pressor responses to acute hypoxia than Hilltop (H) rats. We tested the hypothesis that the difference in pressor response is intrinsic to pulmonary arteries and that endothelium contributes to the difference. Pulmonary arteries precontracted with phenylephrine (10(-7) M) from M rats had greater constrictor responses [hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction (HPV)] to acute hypoxia (0% O(2)) than those from H rats: 473 +/- 30 vs. 394 +/- 29 mg (P < 0.05). Removal of the endothelium or inhibition of nitric oxide (NO) synthase by N(omega)-nitro-L-arginine (L-NA, 10(-3) M) significantly blunted HPV in both strains. Inhibition of cyclooxygenase by meclofenamate (10(-5) M) or blockade of endothelin type A and B receptors by BQ-610 (10(-5) M) + BQ-788 (10(-5) M), respectively, had no effect on HPV. Constrictor responses to phenylephrine, endothelin-1, and prostaglandin F(2alpha) were similar in pulmonary arteries from both strains. The relaxation response to ACh, an NO synthase stimulator, was significantly greater in M than in H rats (80 +/- 3 vs. 62 +/- 4%, P < 0.01), but there was no difference in response to sodium nitroprusside, an NO donor. L-NA potentiated phenylephrine-induced contraction to a greater extent in pulmonary arteries from M than from H rats. These findings indicate that at least part of the strain-related difference in acute HPV is attributable to differences in endothelial function, possibly related to differences in NO production.

Renovascular adaptive changes in chronic hypoxic polycythemia.

BACKGROUND: Chronic hypoxia in rats produces polycythemia, and the plasma fraction falls, reducing renal plasma flow (RPF) relative to renal blood flow (RBF). Polycythemia also causes increased blood viscosity, which tends to reduce RBF and renal oxygen delivery. We studied how renal regulation of electrolyte balance and renal tissue oxygenation (which is crucial for erythropoietin regulation) are maintained in rats during hypoxic exposure. METHODS: Rats of two strains with differing polycythemic responses, with surgically implanted catheters in the urinary bladder, femoral artery, and left renal and right external jugular veins, were exposed to a simulated high altitude (0.5 atm) for 0, 1, 3, 14, and 30 days, after which RPF (para-aminohippurate clearance), glomerular filtration rate (GFR, polyfructosan clearance), hematocrit and blood gases were measured, and RBF, renal vascular resistance and hindrance (resistance/viscosity), renal oxygen delivery, and renal oxygen consumption were calculated. RESULTS: During chronic hypoxia RBF increased, but RPF decreased because of the polycythemia. GFR remained normal because the filtration fraction (FF) increased. Renal vascular resistance decreased, and renal vascular hindrance decreased more markedly. Renal oxygen delivery and consumption both increased. CONCLUSIONS: During chronic hypoxia GFR homeostasis apparently took precedence over RBF autoregulation. The large decrease in renal vascular hindrance suggested that renal vascular remodeling contributes to GFR regulation. The reduced hindrance also prevented a vicious cycle of increasing polycythemia and blood viscosity, decreasing RBF, and increasing renal hypoxia and erythropoietin release.

Polycythemic responses to hypoxia: molecular and genetic mechanisms of chronic mountain sickness.

We examined erythropoietin (EPO) gene expression and EPO production during hypoxia in two Sprague-Dawley rat strains with divergent polycythemic responses to hypoxia. Hilltop (H) rats develop severe polycythemia, severe hypoxemia, and pulmonary artery hypertension. The H rats often die from a syndrome indistinguishable from chronic mountain sickness (CMS) in humans. Madison (M) rats develop polycythemia and pulmonary artery hypertension that is modest and suffer no excess mortality. We tested the hypothesis that these rat strains have different stimulus-response characteristics governing EPO production. Rats of each strain were exposed to hypoxia (0.5 atm, 73 Torr inspired PO2), and renal tissue EPO mRNA and EPO levels, plasma EPO, ventilation, arterial and renal venous blood gases, and indexes of renal function were measured at fixed times during a 30-day hypoxic exposure. During extended hypoxic exposure, H rats had significantly elevated renal EPO mRNA, renal EPO, and plasma EPO levels compared with M rats. Ventilatory responses and indexes of renal function were similar in the strains during the hypoxic exposure. H rats had greater arterial hypoxemia from the onset of hypoxia and more severe renal tissue hypoxemia and greater polycythemia after 14 days of hypoxic exposure. When EPO responses were expressed as functions of renal venous PO2, the two strains appeared to lie on the same dose-response curves, but the responses of H rats were shifted along the curve toward more hypoxic values. We conclude that H rats have significantly greater polycythemia secondary to poorer renal tissue oxygenation, but the stimulus-response characteristics governing EPO gene expression and EPO production do not seem to differ between M and H rats. Finally, the regulation of EPO levels during hypoxia occurs primarily at the transcriptional level.

Exaggerated pulmonary hypertension with monocrotaline in rats susceptible to chronic mountain sickness.

Hilltop (H) strain Sprague-Dawley rats are more susceptible to chronic mountain sickness than are the Madison (M) strain rats. It is unclear what role pulmonary vascular remodeling, polycythemia, and hypoxia-induced vasoconstriction play in mediating the more severe pulmonary hypertension that develops in the H rats during chronic hypoxia. It is also unclear whether the increased sensitivity of the H rats to chronic mountain sickness is specific for a hypoxia effect or, instead, reflects a general propensity toward the development of pulmonary hypertension. Monocrotaline (MCT) causes pulmonary vascular remodeling and pulmonary hypertension. We hypothesized that the difference in the pulmonary vascular response to chronic hypoxia between H and M rats reflects an increased sensitivity of the H rats to any pulmonary hypertensive stimuli. Consequently, we expected the two strains to also differ in their susceptibility to MCT-induced pulmonary hypertension. Pulmonary arterial pressures in conscious H and M rats were measured 3 wk after a single dose of MCT, exposure to a simulated high altitude of 18,000 ft (barometric pressure = 380 mmHg), and administration of a single dose of saline as a placebo. The H rats had significantly higher pulmonary arterial pressures and right ventricular weights after MCT and chronic hypoxia than did the M rats. The H rats also had more pulmonary vascular remodeling, i.e., greater wall thickness as a percentage of vessel diameter, after MCT and chronic hypoxia than did the M rats. The H rats had significantly lower arterial PO2 than did the M rats after MCT, but the degree of hypoxemia was mild [arterial PO2 of 72.5 +/- 0.8 (SE) Torr for H rats vs. 77.4 +/- 0.8 Torr for M rats after MCT]. The H rats had lower arterial PCO2 and larger minute ventilation values than did the M rats after MCT. These ventilatory differences suggest that MCT caused more severe pulmonary vascular damage in the H rats than in the M rats. These data support the hypothesis that the H rats have a general propensity to develop pulmonary hypertension and suggest that differences in pulmonary vascular remodeling account for the increased susceptibility of H rats, compared with M rats, to both MCT and chronic hypoxia-induced pulmonary hypertension.

Atrial natriuretic peptide expression in rats with different pulmonary hypertensive responses to hypoxia.

Mechanisms that regulate atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) expression during hypoxia are not well defined. We hypothesized that plasma immunoreactive ANP (irANP) and right heart irANP and ANP mRNA levels would be greater in a strain of Sprague-Dawley rats that develops more severe hypoxic pulmonary hypertension (H rats) than another strain (M rats). After 3 wk of hypoxia (0.5 atm), right ventricular systolic pressure (RVSP) and the right ventricle (RV) weight-to-left ventricle plus septum (LV (+) S) weight ratio [RV/(LV+S)] were greater in H rats than in M rats (70 +/- 4 vs. 40 +/- 2 mmHg and 0.59 +/- 0.02 vs. 0.50 +/- 0.02, respectively; P < 0.05 for both), but plasma ANP increased twofold and RV irANP and ANP mRNA increased fivefold in both rat strains. After 3 days of normoxic recovery from chronic hypoxia, RVSP, RV/(LV+S), and RV irANP and ANP mRNA levels decreased in M rats but not in H rats. Plasma irANP decreased to baseline levels in both rat strains. We conclude that, in addition to changes in RV pressure and hypertrophy, hypoxia acts through other mechanisms to modulate RV ANP synthesis and circulating ANP levels in hypoxia-adapted rats.

Pathophysiological effects of hemodilution in chronic mountain sickness in rats.

We examined the effect of isovolemic hemodilution in a rat model of chronic mountain sickness (CMS). After 30 days at simulated high altitude (5,500 m), Hilltop rats had developed evidence of CMS: severe hypoxemia, polycythemia, and pulmonary arterial hypertension. Isovolemic hemodilution to a mean hematocrit of 46 +/- 5% was well tolerated by both the hypoxia-sensitive Hilltop rats and the companion Madison rat strain that does not develop CMS. After hemodilution, we found no evidence of sustained improvements in ventilation or gas exchange in either strain. Despite the fall in blood viscosity, cardiac output increased only marginally, and pulmonary arterial hypertension persisted in the Hilltop rats. Vascular hindrance increased after hemodilution, preventing a significant decline in pulmonary and systemic vascular resistances in the Hilltop rats. Blood O2 content and the coefficient of O2 delivery fell after hemodilution, but O2 consumption was sustained at a normal level after hemodilution by increasing the extraction fraction in the Hilltop strain. There was systemic hypotension through the first day of hemodilution, but this was the only apparent adverse effect of hemodilution. We conclude that isovolemic hemodilution was well tolerated despite the reduction in tissue O2 delivery. However, hemodilution failed to improve any of the respiratory and cardiovascular manifestations of CMS in Hilltop rats.

Pulmonary vascular adaptations to augmented polycythemia during chronic hypoxia.

We previously found that augmentation of polycythemia by exogenous human recombinant erythropoietin (EPO) failed to worsen the severity of hypoxic pulmonary hypertension in rats. We asked whether this unexpected finding was related to reductions in cardiac output, left ventricular end-diastolic pressure, pulmonary vascular resistance, or some combination of these factors. Four groups of Sprague-Dawley rats were studied over a 3-wk period: hypoxic (0.5 ATM) and normoxic animals each injected with EPO (500 U/kg sc thrice weekly) or saline (control animals). As observed previously, we found that pulmonary arterial (PA) pressures and right ventricular hypertrophy were not increased in EPO-treated rats despite significant increases in hematocrit and blood viscosity. Cardiac outputs, blood volumes, and left ventricular end-diastolic pressures were similar in EPO-treated and control rats. Acute PA pressure responses to acute normoxia in hypoxic rats and to acute hypoxia in normoxic rats were similar, suggesting no differences in vasoreactivity. However, lungs isolated from EPO-treated hypoxic rats had lower pulmonary vascular resistance than saline-treated hypoxic rats when perfused with blood from normocythemic donor rats. PA medial thickness and the percentage of muscularized small PAs were significantly lower in EPO-treated hypoxic rats. These results indicate that augmented polycythemia fails to worsen hypoxic pulmonary hypertension in rats because of a decrease in the severity of structural remodeling.

Assessment of cerebral pO2 by EPR oximetry in rodents: effects of anesthesia, ischemia, and breathing gas.

This report describes experiments designed to assess and illustrate the effectiveness of a new method for the measurement of cerebral interstitial pO2 in conscious rodents. It is based on the use of low frequency electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy with lithium phthalocyanine as the oxygen sensitive probe. Magnetic resonance imaging was used to document placement of the probe in the brain, and to assess potential cerebral changes associated with the placement. The technique provided accurate and reproducible measurements of localized pO2 in the brains of conscious rodents under a variety of physiological conditions and for time periods of at least 2 weeks. Using this approach we quantitated the depressing effects on cerebral pO2 of three representative anesthetics, isoflurane, ketamine/xylazine, and sodium pentobarbital. The effects of changing the content of oxygen in the breathing gas was investigated and found to change the cerebral pO2. In experiments with gerbils, crystals of lithium phthalocyanine were implanted in each side of the brain and using a one-dimensional magnetic field gradient, simultaneous measurement of pO2 values from normal and ischemic (ischemia induced by unilateral ligation of a carotid artery) hemispheres of the brain were obtained. These results demonstrate that EPR oximetry with lithium phthalocyanine is a versatile and useful method in the measurement of cerebral pO2 under various physiological and pathophysiological conditions.

Susceptibility to high-altitude pulmonary edema in Madison and Hilltop rats. I. Ventilation and fluid balance.

The pathogenesis of high-altitude pulmonary edema (HAPE) is not well understood. Ventilation and fluid-handling abnormalities at high altitude (HA) may play a role in HAPE. Because ventilatory and cardiopulmonary responses to chronic HA exposure in the Hilltop (H) strain of Sprague-Dawley rat are different from those in the Madison (M) strain, it was hypothesized that these strains would have different susceptibilities to developing HAPE. M and H rats were studied at sea level (SL) and in a hypobaric chamber after 9 and 12 h at a simulated altitude of 24,000 ft (barometric pressure = 295 mmHg) and 1, 12, and 24 h at a simulated altitude of 18,000 ft (barometric pressure = 380 mmHg). Both strains developed HAPE, but the M rat was more susceptible to HAPE, as demonstrated by a higher mortality rate from hemorrhagic pulmonary edema after 9 h at 24,000 ft and an earlier increase in lung water after exposure to 18,000 ft. Minute ventilation was similar in both strains at HA, but arterial PO2 was significantly higher in the M rat. Both strains had a significant decrease in fluid intake and negative sensible water balance at HA. No changes in plasma renin activity, aldosterone concentrations, antidiuretic hormone levels, and atrial natriuretic peptide levels were found at HA. The increased susceptibility of the M rat to HAPE is therefore not explained by ventilation or fluid-handling abnormalities.

Pathogenesis of high-altitude pulmonary oedema: direct evidence of stress failure of pulmonary capillaries.

The pathogenesis of high-altitude pulmonary oedema (HAPE) is disputed. Recent reports show a strong correlation between the occurrence of HAPE and pulmonary artery pressure, and it is known that the oedema is of the high-permeability type. We have, therefore, proposed that HAPE is caused by ultrastructural damage to pulmonary capillaries as a result of stress failure of their walls. However, no satisfactory electron microscopy studies are available in patients with HAPE, and animal models are difficult to find. Madison strain Sprague-Dawley rats show a brisk pulmonary pressure response to acute hypoxia and are susceptible to HAPE. We exposed 13 Madison rats to a pressure of 294 torr for up to 12.5 h, or 4 rats to 236 torr for up to 8 h. Pulmonary arterial or right ventricular systolic pressures measured with a catheter increased from 30.5 +/- 0.5 (SEM) in controls (n = 4) to 48 +/- 2 torr (n = 11). The lungs were fixed for electron microscopy with intravascular glutaraldehyde. Frothy bloodstained fluid was seen in the trachea of three animals. Ultrastructural examination showed evidence of stress failure of pulmonary capillaries, including disruption of the capillary endothelial layer, or all layers of the wall, swelling of the alveolar epithelial layer, red blood cells (RBCs) and oedematous fluid in the alveolar wall interstitium, proteinaceous fluid and RBCs in the alveolar spaces, and fluid-filled protrusions of the endothelium into the capillary lumen.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Downregulation of pulmonary atrial natriuretic peptide receptors in rats exposed to chronic hypoxia.

We hypothesized that a downregulation in pulmonary atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) receptors helps raise plasma ANP levels during chronic hypoxia. We measured in vivo pulmonary uptake and plasma clearance of 125I-ANP and in vitro pulmonary binding kinetics of 125I-ANP in normoxic and chronically hypoxic rats. Exposure to 21 days of hypobaric (0.5 atm) hypoxia did not decrease specific binding of 125I-ANP in the kidney, but pulmonary binding decreased 35 and 75% after 1 and 3 days of hypoxia, respectively, and increased 200% after 3 days of normoxic recovery from 21 days of hypoxia. The total binding capacity for ANP to lung membrane fractions from normoxic rats, chronically hypoxic rats, and rats that had recovered from hypoxia was 488 +/- 59, 109 +/- 17, and 338 +/- 48 fmol/mg, respectively (P < 0.05 for hypoxic vs. normoxic or recovered lung membranes). The area under the 125I-ANP plasma concentration curve for normoxic and hypoxic rats and normoxic rats that were infused with the ANP C-receptor ligand C-ANF-(4-23) was 3,292 +/- 216, 5,022 +/- 466, and 8,205 +/- 1,059 disintegrations.min-1.ml-1, respectively [P < 0.05 for hypoxic vs. normoxic or C-ANF-(4-23)-infused rats]. We conclude that pulmonary ANP clearance is reduced during chronic hypoxia secondary to a downregulation in pulmonary ANP clearance receptors. Reduced pulmonary clearance of ANP may represent an adaptation that contributes to increased plasma ANP levels during chronic hypoxia.

Role of sex hormones in development of chronic mountain sickness in rats.

After chronic exposure to hypoxia, Hilltop Sprague-Dawley rats developed excessive polycythemia and severe pulmonary hypertension and right ventricular (RV) hypertrophy, signs consistent with human chronic mountain sickness; however, there were gender differences in the magnitude of the polycythemia and susceptibility to the fatal consequence of chronic mountain sickness. Orchiectomy and ovariectomy were performed to evaluate the role of sex hormones in the gender differences in these hypoxic responses. After 40 days of exposure to simulated high altitude (5,500 m; barometric pressure of 370 Torr and inspired Po2 of 73 Torr), both sham-gonadectomized male and female rats developed polycythemia and had increased RV peak systolic pressure and RV hypertrophy. The hematocrit was slightly but significantly higher in males than in females. Orchiectomy did not affect these hypoxic responses, although total ventricular weight was less in the castrated high-altitude rats. At high altitude, the mortality rates were 67% in the sham-operated male rats and 50% in the castrated animals. In contrast, ovariectomy aggravated the high-altitude-associated polycythemia and increased RV peak systolic pressure and RV weight compared with the sham-operated high-altitude female rats. Both sham-operated control and ovariectomized females suffered negligible mortality at high altitude. The present study demonstrated that 1) the male sex hormones play no role in the development of the excessive polycythemia, pulmonary hypertension, and RV hypertrophy during chronic hypoxic exposure or in the associated high mortality and 2) the female sex hormones suppressed both the polycythemic and cardiopulmonary responses in vivo during chronic hypoxic exposure.

Possible role of pulmonary blood volume in chronic hypoxic pulmonary hypertension.

Chronic hypoxia increases the total blood volume (TBV) and pulmonary arterial blood pressure (Ppa) and induces pulmonary vascular remodeling. The present study was undertaken to assess how the pulmonary blood volume (PBV) changes during hypoxia and the possible role of PBV in chronic hypoxic pulmonary hypertension. A novel method has been developed to measure the TBV, PBV, and Ppa in conscious rats. The method consists of chronic implantation of a loose ligature around the ascending aorta and pulmonary artery, so that when the ligature is drawn tightly, it traps the blood in the pulmonary vessels and left heart and simultaneously kills the rat. The pulmonary veins are then ligated to separate the left ventricular blood volume from the PBV. This surgical approach, together with chronic catheterization of the pulmonary artery and the use of 51Cr-labeled red blood cells, allows measurement of TBV, PBV, and Ppa. This method has been used to analyze the relationships between TBV and PBV and between Ppa or right ventricular hypertrophy and PBV in two rat strains with markedly different TBV and Ppa responses to chronic hypoxia. PBV per given lung weight did not increase and even decreased during hypoxia despite marked increases in TBV. There was a close correlation between Ppa or right ventricular hypertrophy and PBV in the two strains of chronically hypoxic animals, suggesting that a greater PBV plays a significant role in the development of severe chronic hypoxic pulmonary hypertension in the altitude-susceptible Hilltop rats.

Hematologic responses and the early development of hypoxic pulmonary hypertension in rats.

We have previously described the development of greater right ventricular hypertrophy after 7 days of hypoxia in the altitude-susceptible H strain compared to the resistant M strain of Sprague-Dawley rat. Greater polycythemia also occurs in the H strain after 2-3 weeks of hypoxia and is characterized by increased mean red cell volume (MCV), reticulocyte count (Retic), and blood viscosity after 4 weeks of hypoxia. In the present study, we determined the time course of development of these hematologic responses, whether differences in MCV are associated with differences in red cell deformability, and whether the hematologic differences might contribute to the early cardiopulmonary differences between the strains. We found that although hematocrit (Hct) did not differ between the strains until 21 days of hypoxia, MCV and Retic were greater in the H strain after only 3 days and whole blood viscosity was greater after 7 days. However, no differences in the viscosity or deformability of reconstituted red cells (Hcts 10% and 25%) were apparent at any time during hypoxic exposure. Furthermore, pressure-flow curves obtained using blood and lungs isolated from 7-day hypoxic rats suggested that the largest component of pressure elevation in the H rats was related to pulmonary vascular rather than hematologic factors. We conclude that although H rats have exaggerated hematologic responses to hypoxia, differences in pulmonary vascular structure and tone are more likely to be responsible for the strain differences in cardiopulmonary responses occurring after 7 days of hypoxia.

Exogenous erythropoietin fails to augment hypoxic pulmonary hypertension in rats.

In two rat strains (H and M) with differing susceptibilities to chronic hypoxia we examined the role of polycythemia in the differing hypoxic pulmonary hemodynamic responses. We hypothesized that augmentation of hematocrit (Hct) during hypoxia in the resistant M strain would render cardiopulmonary responses similar to those obtained in the susceptible H strain. Administration of human recombinant erythropoietin (EPO) in doses of 100, 250 and 500 U.kg-1 s.c. thrice weekly for three weeks raised Hct similarly in both strains indicating that normoxic rats had similar sensitivities to EPO. In rats exposed to hypobaric hypoxia (0.5 atm) for 21 days, EPO (500 U.kg-1 thrice weekly) significantly increased Hct and whole blood viscosity as expected. Surprisingly, right ventricular (RV) to body weight (BW) ratio as an index of right ventricular hypertrophy (RVH) and RV peak systolic pressure did not increase in EPO-injected rats of either strain compared to hypoxic controls. Among hypoxic animals, Hct correlated highly with viscosity but not with RV/BW. We conclude, contrary to our hypothesis, that polycythemia does not appear to be responsible for the strain difference in RVH and pulmonary hypertension.

Chronically instrumented rat model for hemodynamic studies of both pulmonary and systemic circulations.

We developed a chronic rat preparation in which a flow probe is placed around the ascending aorta and arterial catheters are implanted in the systemic and pulmonary circulations. This preparation was used to continuously monitor cardiac output (CO), systemic arterial pressure (Psa), and pulmonary arterial pressure (Ppa). More than 80% of the instrumented animals appeared healthy and continued to gain weight for longer than 2 wk. Stable CO, Psa, and Ppa were observed throughout this period. The effects of angiotensin II and hypoxia on the systemic and pulmonary circulations were studied, and possible adverse effects on the heart of long-term implantation of the flow probe were examined. This rat model provides a physiological small-animal preparation for short- and long-term hemodynamic and therapeutic studies on both the systemic and pulmonary circulations.

Ventilatory and hematopoietic responses to chronic hypoxia in two rat strains.

Hilltop (H) and Madison (M) strains of Sprague-Dawley rats exhibit strikingly different susceptibilities to the effects of chronic altitude exposure. The H rats develop greater polycythemia, hypoxemia, and pulmonary hypertension. We studied ventilation, pulmonary gas exchange, tissue oxygenation, and hematologic adaptations in the two rat strains during a 50-day exposure to a simulated altitude (HA) of 5,500 m (18,000 ft). There were no strain differences among the variables we studied under sea level (SL) conditions. Within the first 14 days of hypoxic exposure, the only significant strain differences were that erythropoietin (EPO) rose much higher and erythroid activity was greater in the H rats, even though arterial Po2 and PCo2 (Pao2 and PaCo2, respectively), renal venous PO2 (Prvo2), and ventilation (VE) were equivalent in the two strains during this time. By day 14 at HA, the H rats had significantly higher erythroid activity, hematocrit (Hct), and EPO levels, significantly lower PaO2 and PrvO2, but equivalent VE and PaCO2. These changes persisted for the remainder of the exposure, except that the Hct continued to rise and the increase was greater in H rats. Despite the greater O2-carrying capacity of H rats in the later stages of hypoxic exposure, PaO2 and PrvO2 were significantly lower in H rats. There were no strain differences at either SL or HA in ventilatory responses to hypercapnia or hypoxia, in blood O2 affinity or 2,3-diphosphoglycerate, in extrarenal production of EPO, or in EPO clearance. We conclude that early in the hypoxic exposure the H rats produce more EPO at apparently equivalent levels of hypoxia, and this is the first step in the pathogenesis of the maladaptation to HA manifest by H rats. We find no consistent evidence that differences in VE contribute to the variable susceptibility to hypoxia in the two rat strains.