Fig. 5.

Basal endothelial cell Ca²⁺ in mesenteric arteries and hydrogen sulfide (H₂S) production in mesenteric tissue from rats exposed to sham and intermittent hypoxia (IH) conditions. A: Ca²⁺ was measured in the endothelium of pressurized arteries with the ratiometric Ca²⁺ indicator fura 2-AM. Values are expressed as the difference between the fura 2 ratio in Ca²⁺-containing conditions and Ca²⁺-free conditions. Values are means ± SE. *P < 0.05 vs. sham; n = 5. B: H₂S was measured in mesenteric tissue from rats exposed to sham and IH conditions using a modified version of the method developed by Stipanuk and Beck (33). Values are means ± SE and expressed as nmol·min⁻¹·mg tissue⁻¹. P < 0.05 vs. sham (*) or vehicle (#); n = 5.