Intermittent hypoxia is the most common pattern of hypoxic exposure in humans. The effect of chronic long-term intermittent hypobaric hypoxia (CLTIHH) on bone metabolism is not investigated. We examined the effect of CLTIHH on bone metabolism and the role of nitric oxide (NO) in this process. The rats were divided into three groups in this study. The animals in groups I and II have been exposed to CLTIHH. The animals in group II were also treated with nitric oxide synthase inhibitor NG-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester. To obtain CLTIHH, rats were placed in a hypobaric chamber (430 mm Hg; 5 h/day, 5 days/week, 5 weeks). The group III (control) rats breathed room air in the same environment. At the begining of the experiments, bone mineral density (BMD) of the animals were measured, and blood samples were collected from the tail vein. After the 5-week CLTIHH period, the same measurements were repeated. Parathyroid hormone, calcium, phosphate, bone alkaline phosphatase (b-ALP), NO, interleukin 1 beta, interleukin 6, and tumor necrosis factor alpha levels were determined. The cytokines, NO levels, and BMD in CLTIHH-induced rats were higher compared with baseline and control values. The cytokines, b-ALP, and BMD increased while NO levels decreased in the group II compared with baseline values. BMD values of group II were lower than group I but higher than control group. Our results suggested that CLTIHH has positive effects on bone density. Intermittent hypoxia protocols may be developed for treatment and prevention of osteopenia and osteoporosis.

Our findings show that L-NAME may produce a restorative effect on ethanol-induced liver damage via decreasing oxidative stress and increasing antioxidant status.

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Acute hypoxia produces an increase in ventilation. When the hypoxia is sustained, the initial increase in ventilation is followed a decrease in ventilation. The precise mechanism of this decline in ventilation during sustained hypoxia is unknown. Recent studies hypothesized that the accumulation of dopamine in the central nervous system might have a major role in production of hypoxic respiratory depression. The purpose of this study was to examine whether dopamine has an effect on occurance of central ventilatory depression which is seen in acute hypoxia in peripheral chemoreceptors denervated animals. The experiment were conducted in rabbits anesthetized with Na-pentobarbital (25 mg x kg(-1) i.v.). For intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.) injections of dopamine (1 microg) in each animal, canula was placed in left lateral cerebral ventricle by stereotaxic method. Respiratory frequency (f x min(-1)), tidal volume (V(T)) ventilation minute volume (V(E)) and systemic arterial blood pressure (BP) were recorded during air and 3 minutes hypoxic gas mixture (8%O2-92%N2) breathing. I.c.v. administration of dopamine during normoxia decreased V(T), f, V(E) and BP, significantly. When rabbits were injected with an i.c.v. dopamine on hypoxic gas mixture breathing in control animals, there was depression of hypoxic ventilatory responses. After i.c.v. administration of dopamine antagonists haloperidol (0.1 mg) and domperidone (0.07 mg) in chemodenervated rabbits, the significant increases in V(T), V(E) and BP were observed. On the breathing of hypoxic gas mixture of chemodenervated and i.c.v. dopamine antagonists administrated rabbits, hypoxic depression was completely abolished. These results of this study show that accumulation of dopamine in the brain seems to reduce the response of the central control mechanisms to chemoreceptor impulses during normoxia and hypoxia. In conclusion present study suggests important role played by central dopaminergic pathways in the occurence of acute hypoxic ventilatory depression.

Ischemia-reperfusion (IR) has been reported to be associated with augmented reactive oxygen radicals and cytokines. Currently, we aimed to examine the influence of fluoxetine, which is already used as a preoperative anxiolytic, in the context of IR induced by occlusion of infrarenal abdominal aorta (60 min of ischemia) and its effects on renal oxidative status, inflammation, renal function, and cellular integrity in reperfusion (120 min post-ischemia). Male rats were randomly assigned as control, IR, and pretreated groups. The pretreated group animals received fluoxetine (20 mg/kg, i.p.) once daily for 3 days. Renal tissue oxidative stress, myeloperoxidase activity, proinflammatory cytokines (tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin-1β, interleukin-6), histology, and function were assessed. As an anti-inflammatory cytokine, interleukin-10 was also assessed. IR led to a significant increase in lipid hydroperoxide, malondialdehyde, and pro-oxidant antioxidant balance and decrease in superoxide dismutase activity and ferric reducing/antioxidant power level (p < 0.05), but fluoxetine was able to restore these parameters. High concentrations of tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin-1β, interleukin-6, and myeloperoxidase activity caused by IR were significantly decreased in kidney tissue with fluoxetine. In addition, interleukin-10 levels were high in fluoxetine pretreated group. IR resulted in disrupted cellular integrity, infiltration of tissue with leukocytes, and decreased serum creatinine-urea levels (p < 0.05). Fluoxetine significantly restored impaired redox balance and inflammation parameters of rats subjected to IR to baseline values. This beneficial effect of fluoxetine on redox balance might be addressed to an improvement in renal function.