Angela Navarrete-Opazo

Daily acute intermittent hypoxia elicits functional recovery of diaphragm and inspiratory intercostal muscle activity after acute cervical spinal injury.

UNLABELLED A major cause of mortality after spinal cord injury is respiratory failure. In normal rats, acute intermittent hypoxia (AIH) induces respiratory motor plasticity, expressed as diaphragm (Dia) and second external intercostal (T2 EIC) long-term facilitation (LTF). Dia (not T2 EIC) LTF is enhanced by systemic adenosine 2A (A2A) receptor inhibition in normal rats. We investigated the respective contributions of Dia and T2 EIC to daily AIH-induced functional recovery of breathing capacity with/without A2A receptor antagonist (KW6002, i.p.) following C2 hemisection (C2HS). Rats received daily AIH (dAIH: 10, 5-min episodes, 10.5% O2; 5-min normoxic intervals; 7 successive days beginning 7days post-C2HS) or daily normoxia (dNx) with/without KW6002, followed by weekly (reminder) presentations for 8weeks. Ventilation and EMGs from bilateral diaphragm and T2 EIC muscles were measured with room air breathing (21% O2) and maximum chemoreceptor stimulation ( MCS 7% CO2, 10.5% O2). dAIH increased tidal volume (VT) in C2HS rats breathing room air (dAIH+vehicle: 0.47±0.02, dNx+vehicle: 0.40±0.01ml/100g; p<0.05) and MCS (dAIH+vehicle: 0.83±0.01, dNx+vehicle: 0.73±0.01ml/100g; p<0.001); KW6002 had no significant effect. dAIH enhanced contralateral (uninjured) diaphragm EMG activity, an effect attenuated by KW6002, during room air breathing and MCS (p<0.05). Although dAIH enhanced contralateral T2 EIC EMG activity during room air breathing, KW6002 had no effect. dAIH had no statistically significant effects on diaphragm or T2 EIC EMG activity ipsilateral to injury. Thus, two weeks post-C2HS: 1) dAIH enhances breathing capacity by effects on contralateral diaphragm and T2 EIC activity; and 2) dAIH-induced recovery is A2A dependent in diaphragm, but not T2 EIC. Daily AIH may be a useful in promoting functional recovery of breathing capacity after cervical spinal injury, but A2A receptor antagonists (e.g. caffeine) may undermine its effectiveness shortly after injury.

Recruitment and plasticity in diaphragm, intercostal, and abdominal muscles in unanesthetized rats

UNLABELLED Although rats are a frequent model for studies of plasticity in respiratory motor control, the relative capacity of rat accessory respiratory muscles to express plasticity is not well known, particularly in unanesthetized animals. Here, we characterized external intercostal (T2, T4, T5, T6, T7, T8, T9 EIC) and abdominal muscle (external oblique and rectus abdominis) electromyogram (EMG) activity in unanesthetized rats via radiotelemetry during normoxia (Nx: 21% O2) and following acute intermittent hypoxia (AIH: 10 × 5-min, 10.5% O2; 5-min intervals). Diaphragm and T2-T5 EIC EMG activity, and ventilation were also assessed during maximal chemoreceptor stimulation ( MCS 7% CO2, 10.5% O2) and sustained hypoxia (SH: 10.5% O2). In Nx, T2 EIC exhibits prominent inspiratory activity, whereas T4, T5, T6, and T7 EIC inspiratory activity decreases in a caudal direction. T8 and T9 EIC and abdominal muscles show only tonic or sporadic activity, without consistent respiratory activity. MCS increases diaphragm and T2 EIC EMG amplitude and tidal volume more than SH (0.94 ± 0.10 vs. 0.68 ± 0.05 ml/100 g; P < 0.001). Following AIH, T2 EIC EMG amplitude remained above baseline for more than 60 min post-AIH (i.e., EIC long-term facilitation, LTF), and was greater than diaphragm LTF (41.5 ± 1.3% vs. 19.1 ± 2.0% baseline; P < 0.001). We conclude that 1) diaphragm and rostral T2-T5 EIC muscles exhibit inspiratory activity during Nx; 2) MCS elicits greater ventilatory, diaphragm, and rostral T2-T5 EIC muscle activity vs. SH; and 3) AIH induces greater rostral EIC LTF than diaphragm LTF.

Enhanced recovery of breathing capacity from combined adenosine 2A receptor inhibition and daily acute intermittent hypoxia after chronic cervical spinal injury.

ABSTRACT Daily acute intermittent hypoxia (dAIH) improves breathing capacity after C2 spinal hemisection (C2HS) in rats. Since C2HS disrupts spinal serotonergic innervation below the injury, adenosine‐dependent mechanisms underlie dAIH‐induced functional recovery 2 weeks post‐injury. We hypothesized that dAIH‐induced functional recovery converts from an adenosine‐dependent to a serotonin‐dependent, adenosine‐constrained mechanism with chronic injury. Eight weeks post‐C2HS, rats began dAIH (10, 5‐min episodes, 10.5% O2; 5‐min intervals; 7 days) followed by AIH 3× per week (3×wAIH) for 8 additional weeks with/without systemic A2A receptor inhibition (KW6002) on each AIH exposure day. Tidal volume (VT) and bilateral diaphragm (Dia) and T2 external intercostal motor activity were assessed in unanesthetized rats breathing air and during maximum chemoreflex stimulation (MCS: 7% CO2, 10.5% O2). Nine weeks post‐C2HS, dAIH increased VT versus time controls (p < 0.05), an effect enhanced by KW6002 (p < 0.05). dAIH increased bilateral Dia activity (p < 0.05), and KW6002 enhanced this effect in contralateral (p < 0.05) and ipsilateral Dia activity (p < 0.001), but not T2 inspiratory activity. Functional benefits of combined AIH plus systemic A2A receptor inhibition were maintained for 4 weeks. Thus, in rats with chronic injuries: 1) dAIH improves VT and bilateral diaphragm activity; 2) VT recovery is enhanced by A2A receptor inhibition; and 3) functional recovery with A2A receptor inhibition and AIH “reminders” last 4 weeks. Combined dAIH and A2A receptor inhibition may be a simple, safe, and effective strategy to accelerate/enhance functional recovery of breathing capacity in patients with respiratory impairment from chronic spinal injury. HighlightsDaily intermittent hypoxia (dAIH) enhances ventilatory capacity in chronic cervical spinal injury.dAIH increases bilateral diaphragm activity in chronic cervical spinal injury.Adenosine 2A receptor inhibition enhances dAIH effects on diaphragm not T2 intercostal activity.Combined dAIH/A2A inhibition may benefit patients with chronic, incomplete cervical injuries.

Adenosine 2A Receptor Inhibition Enhances Intermittent Hypoxia-Induced Diaphragm but Not Intercostal Long-Term Facilitation

Acute intermittent hypoxia (AIH) elicits diaphragm (Dia) and second external intercostal (T2 EIC) long-term facilitation (LTF) in normal unanesthetized rats. Although AIH-induced phrenic LTF is serotonin dependent, adenosine constrained in anesthetized rats, this has not been tested in unanesthetized animals. Cervical (C2) spinal hemisection (C2HS) abolishes phrenic LTF because of loss of serotonergic inputs 2 weeks post-injury, but LTF returns 8 weeks post-injury. We tested three hypotheses in unanesthetized rats: (1) systemic adenosine 2aA (A2A) receptor inhibition with intraperitoneal (IP) KW6002 enhances Dia and T2 EIC LTF in normal rats; (2) Dia and T2 EIC LTF are expressed after chronic (8 weeks), but not acute (1 week) C2HS; and (3) KW6002 enhances Dia and T2 EIC LTF after chronic (not acute) C2HS. Electromyography radiotelemetry was used to record Dia and T2 EIC activity during normoxia (21% O2), before and after AIH (10, 5-min 10.5% O2, 5-min intervals). In normal rats, KW6002 enhanced DiaLTF versus AIH alone (33.1±4.6% vs. 22.1±6.4% baseline, respectively; p<0.001), but had no effect on T2 EIC LTF (p>0.05). Although Dia and T2 EIC LTF were not observed 2 weeks post-C2HS, LTF was observed in contralateral (uninjured) Dia and T2 EIC 8 weeks post-C2HS (18.7±2.7% and 34.9±4.9% baseline, respectively; p<0.05), with variable ipsilateral expression. KW6002 had no significant effects on contralateral Dia (p=0.447) or T2 EIC LTF (p=0.796). We conclude that moderate AIH induces Dia and T2 EIC LTF after chronic, but not acute cervical spinal injuries. A single A2A receptor antagonist dose enhances AIH-induced Dia LTF in normal rats, but this effect is not significant in chronic (8 weeks) C2HS unanesthetized rats.

Therapeutic Potential of Intermittent Hypoxia: Lessons from Respiratory Motor Plasticity

Intermittent hypoxia (IH) is a subject of considerable interest since it has both beneficial and adverse effects. Unfortunately, a lack of consistency in the use of the term “intermittent hypoxia” has led to considerable confusion in the field. In reviewing available literature, the physiological and pathological impact of IH appears to be highly associated with the effective IH “dose.” IH consisting of modest hypoxic episodes (≥9 % inspired O2) and lesser numbers of hypoxia/reoxygenation events per day (≤15 cycles/day) is generally associated with beneficial effects in multiple body systems. In contrast, severe hypoxic episodes (<9 % inspired oxygen) and more frequent hypoxic episodes per day (40–2,400 cycles/day) shift the balance towards morbidity. In accordance, the impact of IH on the neural system controlling breathing is critically dependent on variables including the pattern of hypoxia (intermittent versus sustained), the severity of hypoxia within episodes, and the overall duration of IH exposure (minutes to years). A low IH “dose” (few episodes, moderate hypoxia) elicits serotonin-dependent spinal, respiratory motor plasticity that may be harnessed as a therapeutic approach to improve respiratory function in clinical conditions that impair breathing, such as cervical spinal injury. With a similar protocol but more severe hypoxic episodes, a distinct adenosine-dependent mechanism of spinal respiratory motor plasticity is observed. The cumulative effectives of repeated, low-dose IH (metaplasticity) suggest that repetitive, acute IH may represent a simple, safe, and effective treatment to promote meaningful therapeutic benefit in a range of clinical conditions that compromise respiratory (and nonrespiratory) somatic motor function.