Participação do sistema purinérgico no locus coeruleus (LC) no controle cardiorrespiratório e térmico em normocapnia e hipercapnia em ratos não anestesiados

Locus coeruleus (LC) is considered as a chemosensitive region to CO2/pH in mammals and amphibians, mainly its noradrenergic neurons. The LC purinergic neuromodulation is of particular interest since adenosine 5′-triphosphate (ATP) acts as a neuromodulator in many brainstem areas involved in cardiovascular and respiratory regulation, which includes Locus coeruleus (LC). ATP acting on LC P2 receptors influences the release of noradrenaline (NE) and the LC noradrenergic neurons are involved in the CO2-drive to breathing. Thus, the goal of the present study was to investigate the role of purinergic neuromodulation in the LC in the ventilatory, thermal and cardiovascular responses during normocapnia and hypercapnia in Wistar male unanesthetized rats. We assessed the purinergic modulation of cardiorespiratory and thermal responses by microinjecting ATP P2X receptor agonist (α,β-MeATP, 0.5 nmoL/40 nL and 1 nmoL/40 nL) and P2 receptor non selective antagonists (PPADS 0.5 nmoL/40 nL and 1 nmoL/40 nL; suramin, 1 nmoL/40 nL) into the LC. Pulmonary ventilation (VE, plethysmography), mean arterial pressure (MAP), heart rate (HR) and body core temperature (Tb, dataloggers) were measured before and after unilateral microinjection (40 nL) of α,β-MeATP, PPADS, suramin or 0.9% saline (vehicle) into the LC during 60 min normocapnia or 30 min period of 7% CO2 exposure followed by 30 min of normocapnia. Under normocapnic conditions, α,β-MeATP did not affect any parameter, whereas PPADS decreased respiratory frequency (f), increased MAP and HR and suramin increased Tb, MAP and HR and did not change ventilation. Hypercapnia induced an increase in ventilation, a fall in HR and did not change Tb in all groups. During hypercapnia, α,β-MeATP produced a further increase in ventilation and did not cause changes in cardiovascular and thermal parameters, PPADS caused an increase in MAP, did not alter ventilation and Tb and suramin elicited increases in ventilation, MAP and bradycardia and did not change Tb. Thus, our data suggest that purinergic neuromodulation in the LC plays an important role in the cardiorespiratory control during hypercapnia and modulates cardiorrespiratory and thermal control during normocapnic conditions in unanesthetized animals.Universidade Federal de Minas GeraisO LC é considerado uma região quimiossensível a CO2/pH em mamíferos e anfíbios, especificamente os neurônios noradrenérgicos. A neuromodulação purinérgica no LC desperta um interesse particular uma vez que a adenosina 5 -trifosfato (ATP) atua como neuromodulador em várias áreas do tronco encefálico envolvidas na regulação cardiorrespiratória, incluindo o LC e sua atuação em receptores P2 influencia a liberação de noradrenalina (NE) dos neurônios do LC. Portanto, o objetivo do presente estudo foi investigar a participação da neuromodulação purinérgica no LC nas respostas ventilatória, térmica e cardiovascular durante normocapnia e hipercapnia em ratos Wistar não anestesiados. A possível modulação do ATP nessas respostas foi realizada por meio da microinjeção do agonista de receptor P2X (α,β-MeATP, 0.5 nmol/40 nL e 1 nmol/40 nL) e dos antagonistas não seletivos de receptor P2 (PPADS 0.5 nmol/40 nL e 1 nmol/40 nL; suramin, 1nmol/40nL) no LC. Foram feitas medidas de ventilação pulmonar ( VE, pletismografia), temperatura corporal (TC) pressão arterial média (PAM) e frequência cardíaca (FC) antes da microinjeção unilateral de α,β--MeATP, PPADS, suramin ou salina (veículo, 40nL) no LC em condições basais, e após microinjeção durante 60 min de normocapnia ou 30 min de exposição a 7% CO2, seguido de 30 min de normocapnia. Em condições normocápnicas, a microinjeção de α,β-MeATP não afetou nenhuma das variáveis analisadas, enquanto que o PPADS promoveu uma redução da freqüência respiratória (fR), aumento da PAM e FC, e o suramin aumentou a TC, PAM e FC sem causar alterações na ventilação. A hipercapnia promoveu aumento da ventilação, uma redução na FC e não alterou a TC em todos os grupos. Durante hipercapnia, α,β-MeATP promoveu aumento da hiperpnéia sem causar alterações nas variáveis cardiovasculares e na temperatura, PPADS promoveu aumento da PAM sem alterar as variáveis respiratórias e a temperatura corporal e o suramin promoveu aumento da hiperventilação, aumento na PAM e bradicardia sem alterar a temperatura corporal. Portanto, nossos dados sugerem que a neuromodulação purinérgica no LC participa do controle cardiorrespiratório durante normocapnia e hipercapnia e modula a termorregulação em condições normocápnicas em animais não anestesiados

Envolvimento da serotonina no controle respiratório durante o desenvolvimento pós-natal

Serotonin (5-HT) is a neurotransmitter involved in nervous system development, being an important modulator of respiratory rhythm via activation of diverse receptors on respiratory neurons. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) such as fluoxetine act as antidepressants and are generally prescribed in depression therapy, including to pregnant women. This study investigated the effects of prenatal (E15-21) exposure to fluoxetine on the ventilatory and metabolic responses to 7% CO2 (hypercapnia) and 10% O2 (hypoxia) of male and female rats during postnatal development (P0-82). To this end, osmotic pumps were implanted subcutaneously in pregnant female rats at embryonic day (E) 15 and delivered vehicle (VEH) or fluoxetine (SSRI, 10 mg/Kg/day) during 7 days. Respiratory frequency (fR), tidal volume (Vt), ventilation (Ve ), O2 consumption (''VO2 ) and air convection requirements (Ve/VO2 ratio) of pups from these litters were studied. In P0-2 male rats, the SSRI group showed a lower Vt and a higher fR in room air conditions, whereas female rats of SSRI group showed a lower Vt in normocapnia normoxica and a higher hyperventilation induced by hypercapnia. At P6-8, male SSRI animals presented a higher fR during hypoxia together with a decrease in the number of neurons that express 5-HT in the caudal dorsal raphe (RDC). P6-8 females from ISRS group showed an attenuated fR during hypoxia. No differences were observed between male rats in the VEH and ISRS groups at P12-14 although there was an increase in the number of 5-HT neurons in the RD. SSRI females showed an attenuated hypercapnic ventilatory response. At P24-26, male SSRI animals showed a lower VEin room air conditions, a higher ventilatory response to hypercapnia and to hypoxia, together with an increase in the number of 5-HT neurons in the ROB and a higher density of TH expression in the LC area. P24-26 SSRI females displayed a lower Ve/V O2 due to a higher V O2 in room air conditions and a higher hyperventilation induced by hypercapnia. In P76-82 male rats, the SSRI group hypoventilated in room air conditions during both wakefulness and NREM sleep and showed a higher increase in Vt induced by hypoxia during wakefulness. These animals showed a higher number of 5-HT neurons in the ROB, RPA and an increase in the number of neurons that express TH in the A5 and in the LC rostral area. Finally, at P76-82, female SSRI rats showed a higher fR in room air conditions during both wakefulness and NREM sleep, an attenuated hypercapnic ventilatory response due to an attenuation of fR during NREM sleep; and an attenuated hypoxic ventilatory response during wakefulness. Also, these animals showed a decrease in the number of 5-HT neurons in the RD. Taken together, these data indicate that SSRI exposure during the prenatal period alters the development of the brainstem respiratory network and results in long lasting and sex specific changes in breathing pattern and in the ventilatory responses to respiratory challenges demonstrating that central and/or peripheric chemoreception may be disrupted in these animals.OutraConselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR)A serotonina (5-HT) é um neurotransmissor envolvido no desenvolvimento de vários sistemas neuronais, sendo um importante modulador da ritmogênese respiratória via ativação em diversos receptores nos neurônios respiratórios. Os inibidores seletivos de recaptação de serotonina (ISRSs), como a fluoxetina, agem como antidepressivos e geralmente são prescritos na terapia da depressão, incluindo às mulheres grávidas. Este estudo investigou os efeitos de uma exposição prenatal [dia embrionário (E) 15-21] à fluoxetina nas respostas ventilatórias e metabólicas à hipercapnia (7% CO2) e hipóxia (10% O2) em ratos e ratas durante o desenvolvimento pós-natal (P0-82). Para isso, bombas osmóticas foram implantadas subcutaneamente em ratas grávidas em E15 e forneceram veículo (CTRL) ou fluoxetina (ISRS, 10 mg/Kg/dia) durante 7 dias. A frequência respiratória (fR), o volume corrente (Vt), a ventilação (V e ), o consumo de O2 (V O2) e o equivalente respiratório (V E/VO2) dessas ninhadas foram analisados. Em ratos P0-2, o grupo ISRS apresentou um Vt menor e uma fR maior em ar ambiente. Já as fêmeas do grupo ISRS apresentaram um Vt menor em normocapnia normóxica e um aumento da hiperventilação induzida por hipercapnia. Na idade P6-8, machos ISRS apresentaram uma fR maior durante a hipóxia juntamente com uma queda de 37,9% no número de neurônios que expressam 5-HT na rafe dorsal caudal (RDC), as fêmeas ISRS por sua vez, apresentaram uma fR atenuada em hipóxia em 6%. Nenhuma diferença das varíaveis respiratórias entre grupos foi observada em machos da idade P12-14, porém houve um aumento de 84,7% no número de neurônios que expressam 5-HT na rafe dorsal (RD). As ratas ISRS P12-14 apresentaram uma resposta ventilatória atenuada à hipercapnia. Na idade P24-26, os ratos ISRS demonstraram uma Ve menor em ar ambiente, uma maior resposta ventilatória à hipercapnia e à hipóxia, juntamente com um aumento de 56% no número de neurônios que expressam 5-HT na rafe obscurus (ROB) e uma maior densidade na expressão de tirosina hidroxilase (TH) na região do Locus coeruleus (LC) (16% de aumento). As fêmeas ISRS exibiram um menor V e/V O2 devido a um maior V O2 em normocapnia normóxica e uma maior hiperventilaçao induzida por hipercapnia. Nos ratos P76-82, o grupo ISRS hipoventilou em condições de ar ambiente durante vigília e sono NREM e apresentou um maior aumento no Vt induzido por hipóxia durante a vigília. Estes animais apresentaram um maior número de neurônios que expressam 5-HT na ROB, RPA e um aumento do número de neurônios que expressam TH na região A5 e na região rostral do LC. Finalmente, as fêmeas ISRS da idade P76-82 apresentaram uma maior fR em condições de ar ambiente durante a vigília e o sono NREM, uma resposta ventilatória a hipercapnia atenuada em devido a atenuação da fR durante o sono NREM; e uma resposta ventilatória a hipóxia atenuada durante a vigília. Adicionalmente, estes animais apresentaram uma redução do número de neurônios que expressam 5-HT na RD. Estes resultados, em conjunto, sugerem que uma exposição a ISRS durante o período prenatal altera o desenvolvimento da rede respiratória do tronco encefálico e promove efeitos em longo prazo e sexo específicos na respiração basal como em condições de desafios respiratórios, demonstrando que a quimiorrecepção central e/ou periférica pode estar alterada nestes animais.CNPq: 209935/2013-8CNPq: 141653/2012-4FAPESP: 2012/15298-2FAPESP: 2012/19966-

Hypercapnic ventilatory response of anesthetized female rats subjected to neonatal maternal separation: Insight into the origins of panic attacks?

Neonatal maternal separation (NMS) is a form of stress that interferes with the regulation of the stress response, an effect that predisposes to the emergence of panic and anxiety related disorders. We previously showed that at adulthood, awake female (but not male) rats subjected to NMS show a hypercapnic ventilatory response (HCVR; 5% CO(2)) that is 63% greater than controls (Genest et al., 2007). To understand the mechanisms underlying the sex-specific effects of NMS on the ventilatory response to CO(2), we used two different anesthetized female rat preparations to assess central CO(2) chemosensitivity and contribution of sensory afferents (stretch receptors and peripheral chemoreceptors) that influence the HCVR. Data show that anesthesia eliminated the respiratory phenotype observed previously in awake females and CO(2) chemosensitivity did not differ between groups. Finally, the assessment of the ovarian hormone levels across the oestrus cycle failed to reveal significant differences between groups. Since anesthesia did not affect the manifestation of NMS-related respiratory dysfunction in males (including the hypercapnic ventilatory response) (Kinkead et al., 2005; Dumont and Kinkead, 2010), we propose that the panic or anxiety induced by CO(2) during wakefulness is responsible for enhancement of the HCVR in NMS females. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

ATP in the locus coeruleus as a modulator of cardiorespiratory control in unanaesthetized male rats

Locus coeruleus (LC) noradrenergic neurons are chemosensitive to CO2 and pH in mammals and amphibians and are involved in the CO2-related drive to breathe. Purinergic neuromodulation in the LC is of particular interest because ATP acts as a neuromodulator in brainstem regions involved in cardiovascular and respiratory regulation, such as the LC. ATP acting on LC P2 receptors influences the release of noradrenaline. Thus, the goal of the present study was to investigate the role of LC purinergic neuromodulation of ventilatory and cardiovascular responses in normocapnic and hypercapnic conditions in unanaesthetized male Wistar rats. We assessed the purinergic modulation of cardiorespiratory systems by microinjecting an ATP P2X receptor agonist [,-methylene ATP (,-meATP), 0.5 or 1 nmol in 40 nl] and two non-selective P2 receptor antagonists [pyridoxalphosphate-6-azophenyl-2,4-disulfonic acid (PPADS), 0.5 or 1 nmol in 40 nl; and suramin, 1 nmol in 40 nl] into the LC. Pulmonary ventilation (measured by plethysmography), mean arterial pressure (MAP) and heart rate (HR) were determined before and after unilateral microinjection (40 nl) of ,-meATP, PPADS, suramin or 0.9% saline (vehicle) into the LC. These measurements were made during a 60 min exposure to normocapnic conditions or a 30 min exposure to 7% CO2. Subsequently, animals undergoing pharmacological treatment were subjected to a 30 min exposure to normocapnic conditions as a recovery period. In normocapnic conditions, ,-meATP did not affect any parameter, whereas PPADS decreased respiratory frequency and increased MAP and HR. Suramin increased MAP and HR but did not change ventilation. Moreover, hypercapnic conditions induced an increase in ventilation and a decrease in HR in all groups. In hypercapnic conditions, ,-meATP increased ventilation but did not change cardiovascular parameters, whereas PPADS increased MAP but did not alter ventilation, and suramin increased both ventilation and MAP. Thus, our data suggest that purinergic signalling, specifically through P2 receptors, in the LC plays an important role in cardiorespiratory control in normocapnic and hypercapnic conditions in unanaesthetized rats.Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq

Locus coeruleus noradrenergic neurons and CO2 drive to breathing

The Locus coeruleus (LC) has been suggested as a CO2 chemoreceptor site in mammals. In the present study, we assessed the role of LC noradrenergic neurons in the cardiorespiratory and thermal responses to hypercapnia. To selectively destroy LC noradrenergic neurons, we administered 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) bilaterally into the LC of male Wistar rats. Control animals had vehicle (ascorbic acid) injected (sham group) into the LC. Pulmonary ventilation (plethysmograph), mean arterial pressure (MAP), heart rate (HR), and body core temperature (T-c, data loggers) were measured followed by 60 min of hypercapnic exposure (7% CO2 in air). To verify the correct placement and effectiveness of the chemical lesions, tyrosine hydroxylase immunoreactivity was performed. Hypercapnia caused an increase in pulmonary ventilation in all groups, which resulted from increases in respiratory frequency and tidal volume (V-T) in sham-operated and 6-OHDA-lesioned groups. The hypercapnic ventilatory response was significantly decreased in 6-OHDA-lesioned rats compared with sham group. This difference was due to a decreased V-T in 6-OHDA rats. LC chemical lesion or hypercapnia did not affect MAP, HR, and T-c. Thus, we conclude that LC noradrenergic neurons modulate hypercapnic ventilatory response but play no role in cardiovascular and thermal regulation under resting conditions

Role of Locus coeruleus noradrenergic neurons in cardiorespiratory and thermal control during hypoxia

We investigated the specific role of LC noradrenergic (NA) neurons in the cardiorespiratory and thermal responses to hypoxia. Aiming this, LC NA neurons were selectively destroyed by microinjecting 6-OHDA bilaterally in the LC of male rats. Pulmonarl ventilation ((V) over dotE, plethysmograph), core body temperature (Tc, dataloggers), mean arterial pressure (MAP) and heart rate (fH) were measured during normoxia followed by 7% O(2) in air. Tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) immunoreactivity was performed to verify the chemical lesions effectiveness. Hypoxia caused increase in (V) over dotE, decrease in Tc and did not affect fH in both sham-operated and 6-OHDA-lesioned groups. In addition, hypoxia decreased MAP in the sham-operated group and did not affect MAP in the 6-OHDA-lesioned group. LC lesion did not affect (V) over dotE, MAP, fH and Tc. Thus, these results indicate that LC noradrenergic neurons do not play a role in cardiorespiratory control and thermoregulation under basal and hypoxic conditions. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq

Neurochemical and electrical modulation of the locus coeruleus: contribution to CO2drive to breathe

The Locus coeruleus (LC) is a dorsal pontine region, situated bilaterally on the floor of the fourth ventricle. It is considered to be the major source of noradrenergic innervation in the brain. These neurons are highly sensitive to CO2 / pH, and chemical lesions of LC neurons largely attenuate the hypercapnic ventilatory response in unanesthetized adult rats. Developmental dysfunctions in these neurons are linked to pathological conditions such as Rett and sudden infant death syndromes, which can impair the control of the cardio-respiratory system. LC is densely innervated by fibers that contain glutamate, serotonin and ATP, and these neurotransmitters strongly affect LC activity, including central chemoreflexes. Aside from neurochemical modulation, LC neurons are also strongly electrically coupled, specifically through gap junctions, which play a role in the CO2 ventilatory response. This article reviews the available data on the role of chemical and electrical neuromodulation of the LC in the control of ventilation

Neuroglia and their roles in central respiratory control; an overview

While once viewed as mere housekeepers, providing structural and metabolic support for neurons, it is now clear that neuroglia do much more. Phylogenetically, they have undergone enormous proliferation and diversification as central nervous systems grew in their complexity. In addition, they: i) are morphologically and functionally diverse; ii) play numerous, vital roles in maintaining CNS homeostasis; iii) are key players in brain development and responses to injury; and, iv) via gliotransmission, are likely participants in information processing. In this review, we discuss the diverse roles of neuroglia in maintaining homeostasis in the CNS, their evolutionary origins, the different types of neuroglia and their functional significance for respiratory control, and finally consider evidence that they contribute to the processing of chemosensory information in the respiratory network and the homeostatic control of blood gases.Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq