Age-dependent remodelling of arterial chemoafferent innervation in hypertension.

ABSTRACT:

Aims

Elevated sympathetic nerve activity (eSNA) is a hallmark of cardiovascular disease and represents an important clinical target for disease management. A known driver of eSNA is aberrant signalling from, and sensitization of, the carotid body (CB) arterial chemoreceptors. Sensitization is coupled with CB hypertrophy, the cause of which remains unclear. Here, we set out to characterize the morphological basis of CB hypertrophy in hypertension to understand its aberrant activity.

Methods and results

Using high-throughput fluorescence microscopy, we mapped the neurovascular interface and chemoafferent innervation of the CB of spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) across multiple age groups. We show that CB hypertrophy driven by chemosensory (type I) cell hyperplasia and an

SUBMITTER: Pauza AG 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12687876 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature