|
|
||||||||
The Physiological Laboratory, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EG, United Kingdom
This study investigated the effects on femoral vascular resistance, blood glucose and lactate levels, and plasma catecholamine concentrations of fetal treatment with an adenosine receptor antagonist during acute hypoxemia in fetal sheep during late gestation.
Under anesthesia, seven fetal sheep were instrumented between 117 and 118 days gestation (term is ~145 days) with vascular and amniotic catheters and an ultrasonic probe around a femoral artery. Six days after surgery, all fetuses were randomly subjected to a 3-h experiment consisting of 1 h of normoxia, 1 h of hypoxemia, and 1 h of recovery. This was done during either intravenous infusion of vehicle or the adenosine receptor antagonist [8-(p-sulfophenyl)-theophylline; 8-SPT] dissolved in vehicle. During vehicle infusion, all fetuses responded to hypoxemia with bradycardia, an increase in arterial blood pressure, and femoral vasoconstriction. Increases in blood glucose and lactate concentrations and in plasma epinephrine and norepinephrine concentrations also occurred in all fetuses during hypoxemia. Fetal treatment with 8-SPT markedly attenuated the bradycardic, hypertensive, vasoconstrictor, glycemic, and adrenergic responses to hypoxemia, but it did not affect the increase in blood lactate concentrations during hypoxemia.
These data show that adenosine is involved in the mechanisms mediating fetal cardiovascular, metabolic, and adrenergic responses to hypoxemia in fetal sheep. Fetal treatment with 8-SPT mimics the effects of carotid sinus nerve section on fetal cardiovascular function during hypoxemia, suggesting a role for adenosine in mediating fetal cardiovascular chemoreflexes.
fetus; cardiovascular; hypoxia; chemoreflex
This article has been cited by other articles:
![]() |
A. J. W. Fletcher, D. S. Gardner, C. M. B. Edwards, A. L. Fowden, and D. A. Giussani Development of the ovine fetal cardiovascular defense to hypoxemia towards full term Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol, December 1, 2006; 291(6): H3023 - H3034. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
A.S. Thakor and D.A. Giussani Role of Nitric Oxide in Mediating In Vivo Vascular Responses to Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide in Essential and Peripheral Circulations in the Fetus Circulation, October 18, 2005; 112(16): 2510 - 2516. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
A. S Thakor, M. R Bloomfield, M Patterson, and D. A Giussani Calcitonin gene-related peptide antagonism attenuates the haemodynamic and glycaemic responses to acute hypoxaemia in the late gestation sheep fetus J. Physiol., July 15, 2005; 566(2): 587 - 597. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
A. S Thakor and D. A Giussani Calcitonin gene-related peptide contributes to the umbilical haemodynamic defence response to acute hypoxaemia J. Physiol., February 15, 2005; 563(1): 309 - 317. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
D. S. Gardner, E. Jamall, A. J. W. Fletcher, A. L. Fowden, and D. A. Giussani Adrenocortical responsiveness is blunted in twin relative to singleton ovine fetuses J. Physiol., June 15, 2004; 557(3): 1021 - 1032. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
J. P. Granger Maternal and fetal adaptations during pregnancy: lessons in regulatory and integrative physiology Am J Physiol Regulatory Integrative Comp Physiol, December 1, 2002; 283(6): R1289 - R1292. [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
H. Ehmke Developmental physiology of the cardiovascular system Am J Physiol Regulatory Integrative Comp Physiol, February 1, 2002; 282(2): R331 - R333. [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
| HOME | HELP | FEEDBACK | SUBSCRIPTIONS | ARCHIVE | SEARCH | TABLE OF CONTENTS |
| Visit Other APS Journals Online |