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Circulation. 2000;102:2892-2897

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(Circulation. 2000;102:2892.)
© 2000 American Heart Association, Inc.


Basic Science Reports

Chronic Hypoxia Stimulates Periarterial Sympathetic Nerve Development in Chicken Embryo

K. Ruijtenbeek, MSc; F. A. C. le Noble, PhD; G. M. J. Janssen; C. G. A. Kessels; G. E. Fazzi; C. E. Blanco, MD, PhD; J. G. R. De Mey, PhD

From the Department of Pediatrics (R.K., F.A.C.l.N., C.G.A.K., C.E.B.), Research Institute of Growth and Development (GROW) and Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology (G.M.J.J. G.E.F., J.G.R.D.M.), Cardiovascular Research Institute Maastricht (CARIM), Universiteit Maastricht, Maastricht, The Netherlands.

Correspondence to Prof Dr Jo De Mey, Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Universiteit Maastricht, PO Box 616, 6200 MD, Maastricht, The Netherlands. E-mail j.demey{at}farmaco.unimaas.nl

Background—Epidemiological findings suggest an association between low-for-age birth weight and the risk to develop coronary heart diseases in adulthood. During pregnancy, an imbalance between fetal demands and supply may result in permanent alterations of neuroendocrine development in the fetus. We evaluated whether chronic prenatal hypoxia increases arterial sympathetic innervation.

Methods and Results—Chicken embryos were maintained from 0.3 to 0.9 of the 21-day incubation period under normoxic (21% O2) or hypoxic conditions (15% O2). At 0.9 incubation, the degree of sympathetic innervation of the embryonic femoral artery was determined by biochemical, histological, and functional (in vitro contractile reactivity) techniques. Chronic hypoxia increased embryonic mortality (32% versus 13%), reduced body weight (21.9±0.4 versus 25.4±0.6 g), increased femoral artery norepinephrine (NE) content (78.4±9.4 versus 57.5±5.0 pg/mm vessel length), and increased the density of periarterial sympathetic nerve fibers (14.4±0.7 versus 12.5±0.6 counts/104 µm2). Arteries from hypoxic embryos were less sensitive to NE (pD2, 5.99±0.04 versus 6.21±0.10). In the presence of cocaine, however, differences in sensitivity were no longer present. In the embryonic heart, NE content (156.9±11.0 versus 108.1±14.7 pg/mg wet wt) was also increased after chronic hypoxia.

Conclusions—In the chicken embryo, chronic moderate hypoxia leads to sympathetic hyperinnervation of the arterial system. In humans, an analogous mechanism may increase the risk for cardiovascular disease in adult life.


Key Words: hypoxia • cardiovascular diseases • nervous system, autonomic • nervous system, sympathetic




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