The Effects of Volatile Anesthetics on Renal Sympathetic and Phrenic Nerve Activity during Acute Intermittent Hypoxia in Rats.

Coordinated activation of sympathetic and respiratory nervous systems is crucial in responses to noxious stimuli such as intermittent hypoxia. Acute intermittent hypoxia (AIH) is a valuable model for studying obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) pathophysiology, and stimulation of breathing during AIH is known to elicit long-term changes in respiratory and sympathetic functions. The aim of this study was to record the renal sympathetic nerve activity (RSNA) and phrenic nerve activity (PNA) during the AIH protocol in rats exposed to monoanesthesia with sevoflurane or isoflurane. Adult male Sprague-Dawley rats (n = 24; weight: 280-360 g) were selected and randomly divided into three groups: two experimental groups (sevoflurane group, n = 6; isoflurane group, n = 6) and a control group (urethane group, n = 12). The AIH protocol was identical in all studied groups and consisted in delivering five 3 min-long hypoxic episodes (fraction of inspired oxygen, FiO2 = 0.09), separated by 3 min recovery intervals at FiO2 = 0.5. Volatile anesthetics, isoflurane and sevoflurane, blunted the RSNA response to AIH in comparison to urethane anesthesia. Additionally, the PNA response to acute intermittent hypoxia was preserved, indicating that the respiratory system might be more robust than the sympathetic system response during exposure to acute intermittent hypoxia.