The microbiome is dispensable for normal respiratory function and chemoreflexes in mice.

ABSTRACT: Increasing evidence indicates an association between microbiome composition and respiratory homeostasis and disease, particularly disordered breathing, such as obstructive sleep apnea. Previous work showing respiratory disruption is limited by the methodology employed to disrupt, eliminate, or remove the microbiome by antibiotic depletion. Our work utilized germ-free mice born without a microbiome and described respiratory alterations. We used whole-body flow through barometric plethysmography to assay conscious and unrestrained C57BL/6J germ-free (GF, n = 24) and specific-pathogen-free (SPF, n = 28) adult mice (with an intact microbiome) in normoxic (21% O₂,79% N₂) conditions and during challenges in hypercapnic (5% CO₂, 21% O₂, 74% N₂

SUBMITTER: Lusk S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11659286 | biostudies-literature | 2024

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature