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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2022 Jul 1.
Published in final edited form as: Free Radic Biol Med. 2021 Jan 12;170:150–178. doi: 10.1016/j.freeradbiomed.2020.12.452

Figure 1. System for Homeostatic Oxygen Sensing.

Figure 1.

The homeostatic oxygen-sensing system (HOSS) is made up of specialized tissues specifically adapted to sense small changes in oxygen levels. These include the type 1 cells within the carotid body, smooth muscle cells (SMC) within the resistance pulmonary arteries (PA), fetoplacental arteries, and ductus arteriosus. Hypoxia increases the afferent carotid-sinus nerve fiber action potential frequency, which stimulates respiration. Hypoxia also elicits vasodilation of the ductus arteriosus and systemic arteries, while stimulates vasoconstriction of the fetoplacental and resistance PA.

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