Mode-dependent effects of chemical, intermittent, and hypobaric hypoxia on HIF-1α, HIF-2α, HIF-3α, PACAP, and PAI mRNA expression in the single prolonged stress model of PTSD.

ABSTRACT:

Introduction

Although hypoxic interventions are increasingly explored as non-pharmacological modulators of stress-related pathology, their ability to benefit PTSD remains poorly understood. We compared behavioural and molecular outcomes of three hypoxic regimes - intermittent normobaric hypoxia (IHT), hypobaric hypoxia (Bar), and chemical hypoxia (CH) via cobalt chloride (CoCl₂) - in rats with PTSD induced by single prolonged stress (SPS).

Methods

Male albino rats (n = 105; eight groups) received one of the three treatments after control or SPS conditioning. Anxiety-like behaviour was assessed by Elevated Plus Maze (EPM), Open Field Test (OFT), and Dark-Light Box (DLB); HIF-1α, HIF-2α, HIF-3α, PACAP, and PAI-1 mRNA were quantified in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC

SUBMITTER: Porkhalo D 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC13473047 | biostudies-literature | 2026

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature