Figure 3.

Dominant negative inhibition of MnPO ΔFosB selectively attenuated the sustained component of CIH hypertension. In each graph changes in mean arterial pressure (ΔMAP) or heart rate (ΔHR) are expressed as differences from the daily average observed over a 3–4 day control period (C) for each day of intermittent hypoxia exposure (IH1–IH7). (a) Increases in mean arterial pressure observed during daily intermittent hypoxia exposures (0800h – 1600 h) were not affected by injections of AAV-GFP-ΔJunD or the control vector (AAV-GFP) as compared to uninjected rats exposed to CIH (CIH) but were increased compared to normoxic controls (CON). (b) Blood pressure remained elevated during the normoxic dark phase in uninjected controls and AAV-GFP injected rats exposed to intermittent hypoxia, however, this persistent increase in blood pressure was not evident in rats injected in the MnPO with AAV-GFP-ΔJunD. Blood pressure in the rats injected AAV-GFP-ΔJunD with were not different from normoxic control rats. (c) All groups of rats exposed to CIH had comparable increases in heart rate during daily intermittent hypoxia exposure. (d) There were no significant between groups differences for changes in HR recorded during the dark phase. Data are expressed as means ± s.e.m. * P < 0.05 between groups; analysis of variance followed by Student-Newman-Keuls test.