Chronic intermittent hypoxia disrupts cardiorespiratory homeostasis and gut microbiota composition in adult male guinea-pigs.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Carotid body (peripheral oxygen sensor) sensitisation is pivotal in the development of chronic intermittent hypoxia (CIH)-induced hypertension. We sought to determine if exposure to CIH, modelling human sleep apnoea, adversely affects cardiorespiratory control in guinea-pigs, a species with hypoxia-insensitive carotid bodies. We reasoned that CIH-induced disruption of gut microbiota would evoke cardiorespiratory morbidity.

Methods

Adult male guinea-pigs were exposed to CIH (6.5% O₂ at nadir, 6 cycles.hour^-1) for 8 h.day^-1 for 12 consecutive days.

Findings

CIH-exposed animals established reduced faecal microbiota species richness, with increased relative abundance of Bacteroidetes and reduced relative abundance of Firmicutes

SUBMITTER: Lucking EF 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6306383 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature