Relevance of the Carotid Body Chemoreflex in the Progression of Heart Failure

Central role of carotid body chemoreceptors in disordered breathing and cardiorenal dysfunction in chronic heart failure

Oscillatory breathing (OB) patterns are observed in pre-term infants, patients with cardio-renal impairment, and in otherwise healthy humans exposed to high altitude. Enhanced carotid body (CB) chemoreflex sensitivity is common to all of these populations and is thought to contribute to these abnormal patterns by destabilizing the respiratory control system. OB patterns in chronic heart failure...

Editorial Focus. Oxidative stress in carotid body contributes to enhanced chemoreflex in heart failure: focus on mitochondrial superoxide anion

Carotid chemoreceptor ablation improves survival in heart failure: rescuing autonomic control of cardiorespiratory function.

OBJECTIVES This study sought to investigate whether selective ablation of the carotid body (CB) chemoreceptors improves cardiorespiratory control and survival during heart failure. BACKGROUND Chronic heart failure (CHF) is a recognized health problem worldwide, and novel treatments are needed to better improve life quality and decrease mortality. Enhanced carotid chemoreflex drive from the CB...

Angiotensin II enhances carotid body chemoreflex control of sympathetic outflow in chronic heart failure rabbits.

OBJECTIVES We investigated whether Angiotensin II (Ang II) modulates peripheral chemoreflex function through carotid body (CB) chemoreceptors in chronic heart failure (CHF). METHODS We measured renal sympathetic nerve activity (RSNA) in response to graded hypoxia before and after intravenous administration of Ang II (20 ng/kg/min, i.v. 30 min) or AT1 receptor antagonist (L-158,809, 0.33 mg/kg...

Oxidative stress in carotid body contributes to enhanced chemoreflex in heart failure: focus on "Elevated mitochondrial superoxide contributes to enhanced chemoreflex in heart failure rabbits".

Peripheral chemoreflex sensitivity is enhanced in both clinical and experimental chronic heart failure (CHF). Here we investigated the role of manganese superoxide dismutase (MnSOD), the SOD isoform specially targeted to mitochondria, and mitochondrial superoxide levels in the enhanced chemoreceptor activity and function of the carotid body (CB) in CHF rabbits. CHF suppressed MnSOD protein expr...