Activity of Cytochrome c Oxidase in the Right and Left Ventricular Myocardium of Male and Female Rats Exposed To Intermittent High Altitude Hypoxiaa

• Published in: Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences Vol. 874; no. 1; pp. 269 - 277
• Main Authors: STIEGLEROVÁ, A., DRAHOTA, Z., HOUSTEK, J., MILEROVÁ, M., PELOUCH, V., OSTADAL, B.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford, UK Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01.06.1999
• ISSN: 0077-8923; 1749-6632
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1749-6632.1999.tb09242.x

: The aim of the present study was to compare the capacity of the oxidative metabolism (total activity of cytochrome c oxidase, COX) in the right and left ventricular myocardium of adult rats exposed to intermittent high altitude (IHA) hypoxia simulated in a barochamber (5,000 m, 8 h/day, 5 days/wk, for a total of 32 exposures). In male and female rats, IHA induced significant increases of the right ventricular (RV) weight and protein content, whereas left ventricular (LV) weight and protein content remained unaffected. Consequently, the RV/LV ratio in both sexes markedly increased. Similarly, IHA induce an increase of the total activity of COX in RV in both sexes. The specific activities of COX in homogenate as well as in isolated mitochondria were not changed in IHA‐exposed animals, which indicates that the increase of total activity of COX is proportional to the increase of total protein content and RV weight.