Effects of hypoxia on carotid body dopamine content and release in developing rabbits.

Hypoxia induces dopamine (DA) release from the carotid body (CB), but the role of DA during hypoxia in the postnatal maturation of carotid chemosensory discharge remains controversial. The aim of this study was to evaluate changes in CB content and release of DA evoked by hypoxia at different stages of development in the rabbit. Five groups of rabbits aged < or = 24 h (n = 9), 5 days (n = 27), 15 days (n = 18), 25 days (n = 16), and > or = 1 yr (n = 11) were studied. CBs were surgically removed and immediately incubated at 37 degrees C for 1 h in a surviving medium equilibrated with 100% O2 or 8% O2 in N2. The content of DA in the CB ([DA]CB) and the DA released in the surviving medium ([DA]r) were measured by high-performance liquid chromatography. [DA]CB was significantly larger in adults than in all pup groups in both 100% O2 [385.5 +/- 74.1 (SE) pmol/CB in adults and 43.6 +/- 6.0 pmol/CB in pups; P < 0.01] and hypoxia (518.1 +/- 99.9 pmol/CB in adults and 24.7 +/- 3.2 pmol/CB in pups; P < 0.01), presumably because of the larger CB mass. [DA]r was significantly larger in hypoxia than in 100% O2 only in 25-day-old rabbits (19.8 +/- 4.2 and 3.6 +/- 1.1 pmol/h, respectively; P < 0.01) and in adults (183.9 +/- 57.7 and 7.9 +/- 1.7 pmol/h, respectively; P < 0.01). The average ratio of [DA]r in hypoxia to [DA]r in 100% O2 ranged from 1.3 to 2.2 in the three younger age groups and was 5.5 and 23.3 in 25-day-old and adult rabbits, respectively. We conclude that the release of DA evoked by hypoxia is weak at birth and develops during the first weeks of life in rabbits.