Corticotropin-releasing hormone and oxytocin receptors tonically influence nTS activity in rats subjected to chronic intermittent hypoxia

Chronic intermittent hypoxia (CIH) elevates basal sympathetic nervous system activity, blood pressure, respiration and augments their responses to an acute hypoxic challenge. These physiological effects are due, in part, to the integration of several central nuclei. The nucleus tractus solitarii (nTS) is the initial site of peripheral chemoafferent integration and receives input from the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus (PVN) to modulate nTS activity. PVN-to-nTS projections contain oxytocin (OT) and/or corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH), yet their contribution to nTS activity after CIH is not well understood. We sought to determine the influence of these neuropeptides on nTS synaptic and neuronal activity, hypothesizing they individually increase nTS activity, which is magnified by their co-application, and such responses are enhanced by CIH. Male Sprague-Dawley rats (~3 wks) were exposed to 10d normoxia (21% O2) or CIH (~30s of 6% O2, 10x/hr, 8 h/day). In nTS slices, spontaneous (s) and TS-evoked excitatory postsynaptic currents (EPSCs), membrane potential and action potential discharge (APD) were recorded (n=7,9). Events were examined during OT and CRH or their receptor block (OTR-x, CRHR2-x). Overall, aCSF vehicle did not alter events over the 40-min recording, confirming their stability. Network-driven sEPSCs were enhanced in normoxic slices by only CRH, whereas CRHR2-x did not alter currents. After CIH, the elevation of sEPSCs by CRH was lost and block of OTR and CRHR2-x reduced sEPSC amplitude, indicating a greater tonic activation of these receptors on the nTS neurocircuitry. Afferent (TS)- EPSCs evoked at 0.5 and 20 Hz were not altered by OT or CRH alone nor their receptor block in normoxia. However, CIH elevated TS-EPSCs in response to CRH and CRH+OT, and this effect was greater than normoxia. Block of OTR and CRHR2 after CIH did not alter TS-EPSC amplitude, indicating their minimal tonic influence on sensory integration. Membrane potential was not altered in either group in response to OT and/or CRH application, or their receptor blockade. APD was induced in both groups by current injection. The co-application of OT and CRH increased the APD in normoxic but not CIH neurons. Within the nTS, CIH decreased the expression of OT and CRH (via immunohistochemistry, n = 3-4) and increased OTR and CRHR2 mRNA (via RNA Scope, n=3-4). In agreement with the increased OTR and CRHR2 mRNA expression, calcium imaging in primary dissociated nTS neurons demonstrated enhanced responses to OT+ CRH following CIH vs normoxia (n= 15, 17). Taken together, these data suggest that following CIH, OT and CRH have modality specific effects on nTS activity. NIH R01 HL098602 & R01 HL128454 (DDK). This is the full abstract presented at the American Physiology Summit 2023 meeting and is only available in HTML format. There are no additional versions or additional content available for this abstract. Physiology was not involved in the peer review process.