To observe the effects of heterograft of glomus cells of carotid body on hemiparkinsonian rat models, rats with unilateral 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA)-induced lesions of the right dopaminergic neurons of substantia nigra received intrastriatal glomus cells heterograft. Apomorphine-induced rotation was monitored for 30 min at various time points after grafting. The striata were cut and examined for dopamine content by HPLC and for immunohistochemical staining of tyrosine hydroxylase positive neurons (TH+) at the end of the experiments. The results showed that apomorphine-induced rotational behavior was significantly reduced for 12 weeks and the dopamine contents were significantly elevated after grafting (P < 0.01), and TH+ cells survived better. The present study demonstrates that intrastriatal heterograft of glomus cells within carotid body in rats with 6-OHDA-elicited lesions could reduce apomorphine-induced rotational behavior and elevate the dopamine contents and numbers of TH+ cell surviving within striatum, and can serve as a new and effective alternative for Parkinson disease.
Carotid Body/*cytology ; Carotid Body/transplantation ; *Cell Transplantation ; Dopamine/*metabolism ; Neurons/metabolism ; Parkinson Disease/metabolism ; Parkinson Disease/*surgery ; Random Allocation ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Stereotaxic Techniques ; Transplantation, Heterologous

The experiments were carried out to test whether acid-sensing ion channel 1a and 3 (ASIC1a and ASIC3) were expressed on the primarily cultured type I cells of rat carotid bodies (CBs) and whether the expression of the channels was affected by acid stimulation. The Sprague-Dawley rats of either sex (50-100 g) were used. The CBs were isolated and primarily cultured. The immunofluorescent technique was used to detect the expression of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH), a specific marker of type I cells, in order to identify the type of the cultured cells. The double-label immunofluorescent technique was used to detect the expression of ASIC1a and ASIC3 on the TH-positive type I cells. To detect the influence of acid stimulation on the expressions of ASIC1a and ASIC3, each batch of primarily cultured cells were randomly divided into pH7.3 group (control group), pH6.8 group and pH6.2 group (n=9 in each group). The cells in above three groups were treated with pH7.3, pH6.8 and pH6.2 mediums for 24 h, respectively, and then the mRNA expressions of ASIC1a and ASIC3 in type I cells were detected by semi-quantitative RT-PCR technique. The results showed that more than 93% of the primarily cultured CB cells were TH-positive, indicating that most of the cultured cells were type I cells. Furthermore, all TH-positive cells expressed ASIC1a or ASIC3. After the cells were treated with acid stimulation, the amount of ASIC1a mRNA did not change significantly (P>0.05 vs control group); the amount of ASIC3 mRNA had no significant change in pH6.8 group compared with that in control group, but decreased significantly in pH6.2 group (P<0.01 vs control group, P<0.05 vs pH6.8 group). It is concluded that acid stimulation down-regulates the level of ASIC3 mRNA, but has no effect on the level of ASIC1a mRNA.
Acid Sensing Ion Channels ; metabolism ; Acids ; pharmacology ; Animals ; Carotid Body ; cytology ; metabolism ; Cells, Cultured ; Female ; Male ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley

Peripheral chemoreceptors in the carotid body play important roles in the transduction of chemical stimuli in the arterial blood to the central for eliciting the chemoreflex, which mediates the ventilatory and circulatory responses to hypoxia. The activity of carotid chemoreceptor is modulated and significantly contributes to the ventilatory acclimatization at high altitude. In addition, the carotid chemoreceptor activity is augmented in patients with sleep-disordered breathing, notably in central or obstructive sleep apnea, and also in experimental animals. Thus, the carotid body functions to maintain the oxygen homeostasis, whereas anomalous carotid chemoreceptor activities could be both adaptive and pathogenic in sleep apnea. This review aims to summarize the cellular and molecular mechanisms that could mediate the augmented chemoreceptor activity induced by intermittent hypoxia. Our recent findings suggest a pathogenic role of inflammation mediated by an upregulation of renin-angiotensin system in the carotid body in the over-activity of the chemoreflex. These locally regulated mechanisms are proposed to be a significant part of the hypoxia-mediated maladaptive changes of the carotid body function, which could play a role in the pathophysiology of sleep apnea.
Acclimatization ; Animals ; Carotid Body ; cytology ; Chemoreceptor Cells ; pathology ; Humans ; Hypoxia ; physiopathology ; Renin-Angiotensin System ; Sleep Apnea Syndromes ; physiopathology

To observe the effects of heterograft of glomus cells of carotid body on hemiparkinsonian rat models, rats with unilateral 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA)-induced lesions of the right dopaminergic neurons of substantia nigra received intrastriatal glomus cells heterograft. Apomorphine-induced rotation was monitored for 30 min at various time points after grafting. The striata were cut and examined for dopamine content by HPLC and for immunohistochemical staining of tyrosine hydroxylase positive neurons (TH+) at the end of the experiments. The results showed that apomorphine-induced rotational behavior was significantly reduced for 12 weeks and the dopamine contents were significantly elevated after grafting (P < 0.01), and TH+ cells survived better. The present study demonstrates that intrastriatal heterograft of glomus cells within carotid body in rats with 6-OHDA-elicited lesions could reduce apomorphine-induced rotational behavior and elevate the dopamine contents and numbers of TH+ cell surviving within striatum, and can serve as a new and effective alternative for Parkinson disease.
Animals ; Carotid Body ; cytology ; transplantation ; Cell Transplantation ; Dopamine ; metabolism ; Female ; Neurons ; metabolism ; Parkinson Disease ; metabolism ; surgery ; Random Allocation ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Stereotaxic Techniques ; Transplantation, Heterologous

To investigate the changes in the expression of basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) and transforming growth factor beta 2 (TGFbeta2) in glomus cell grafts of carotid body in the rat model of 6-hydroxydopamine-induced Parkinson disease, immunohistochemical staining of bFGF and TGFbeta2 in the sections of striate body was done on the 2nd, 4th and 12th week after transplantation. The results showed that on the 2nd week after transplantation, bFGF and TGFbeta2 were not detectable in the glumous cell grafts. On the 4th week after graft, bFGF and TGFbeta2 immunoreactivity was increased within the grafts and at the graft-host interface but was restricted only to astrocytes. In the striatum surrounding the graft, bFGF was expressed persistently, while TGFbeta2 showed transient expression. It was suggested that the transient expression of TGFbeta2 was likely due more to the trauma imposed by the graft procedure than to an intrinsic. The deficiency in astrocytic bFGF early after graft may be responsible for the poor survival of grafted glomus cells of carotid body.
Animals ; Carotid Body ; cytology ; transplantation ; Female ; Fibroblast Growth Factor 2 ; biosynthesis ; genetics ; Hydroxydopamines ; Parkinson Disease ; etiology ; metabolism ; surgery ; Rats ; Transforming Growth Factor beta ; biosynthesis ; genetics ; Transforming Growth Factor beta2 ; Transplantation, Homologous