enkephalin--ala(2)-mephe(4)-gly(5)- and Sleep-Apnea-Syndromes

This study tested the hypothesis that activation of guanine nucleotide binding (G) proteins in rat prefrontal cortex (PFC) is altered by hypoxia. G protein activation by the cholinergic agonist carbachol and the opioid agonist DAMGO was quantified using [(35)S]GTPgammaS autoradiography. G protein activation was expressed as nCi/g tissue in the PFC of 18 rats exposed for 14 consecutive days to sustained hypoxia (10% O(2)), intermittent hypoxia (10% and 21% O(2) alternating every 90 s), or room air (21% O(2)). Relative to basal levels of G protein activation, carbachol and DAMGO increased G protein activation by approximately 70% across all oxygen concentrations. Compared to the room air condition, sustained hypoxia caused a significant increase in G protein activation in frontal association (FrA) region of the PFC. Region-specific comparisons revealed that intermittent and sustained hypoxia caused greater DAMGO-stimulated G protein activation in the FrA than in the pre-limbic (PrL). The data show for the first time that hypoxia increased G protein activation in PFC. The results suggest the potential for hypoxia-induced enhancements in G protein activation to alter PFC function.

Topics: Acetylcholine; Analgesics, Opioid; Animals; Carbachol; Cholinergic Agonists; Disease Models, Animal; Enkephalin, Ala(2)-MePhe(4)-Gly(5)-; GTP-Binding Proteins; Hypoxia, Brain; Male; Oxygen; Oxygen Consumption; Prefrontal Cortex; Rats; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Sleep Apnea Syndromes; Up-Regulation