Correlation between convection requirement and carotid body responses to hypoxia and hemoglobin affinity: comparison between two rat strains.

We tested the hypothesis that differences in ventilatory ([Formula: see text]) or convection requirement ([Formula: see text]/[Formula: see text]O2) response to hypoxia would be correlated with differences in hemoglobin (Hb) oxygen affinity between two strains of rats, as they have been shown to be among several species of mammals, birds and reptiles. Brown Norway (BN) rats reduce metabolism more than they increase ventilation in response to hypoxia and both the ventilatory and convection requirement responses to hypoxia are lower in the BN than the Sprague-Dawley (SD) rat. The lower threshold of the ventilation/convection requirement responses of the BN to hypoxia are associated with a higher affinity Hb than the SD rats, (P50 values of 32.4 (± 0.6) versus 34.4 (± 0.5), respectively (P < 0.05), and P75 values of 46.1 (± 0.5) for BN versus 50.7 (± 0.8) for SD (P < 0.001). This significant difference, particularly near the inflection point of the dissociation curve, supported our hypothesis. A reduced sensitivity of BN compared to SD carotid bodies was found. BN carotid bodies (from 36 20-60-day-olds) had a mean estimated volume of 26.64 ± 1.47 × 106 μm3, significantly (P < 0.0001) smaller than SD carotid bodies (from 46 16-40-day-olds) at 50.66 ± 3.41 × 106 μm3. Both genetic and epigenetic/developmental mechanisms may account for the observed inter-strain differences.