Ventilatory response to hyperoxia in newborn rats born in hypoxia--possible relationship to carotid body dopamine.

1. The influence of postnatal hypoxia on regulation of breathing and turnover rate of carotid body dopamine was examined in newborn rats. The percentage change in frequency, tidal volume and ventilation elicited by transient hyperoxia was assessed by flow plethysmography in unanaesthetized pups. The alteration in ventilation was taken as an index of peripheral chemoreceptor activity. 2. The rats were born and reared in hypoxia. The inspired oxygen fraction (FI,O2) was 0.12-0.14 until 2 days after delivery when the rats were placed into room air and the ventilatory chemoreflex was tested. At 4 days of age, i.e. 2 days after termination of hypoxia, the rats were tested again. The ventilatory data were compared with those from a previous study in normoxic rats. 3. We found a smaller decrease in ventilation (8.8 +/- 3.9%, mean +/- S.D.) in the hypoxic rats at 2 days of age compared with normoxic rats (22.7 +/- 6.4%; P < 0.001). In contrast, at 4 days of age there was no difference in ventilatory response between the posthypoxic rats (19.2 +/- 4.6%) and normoxic pups (18.6 +/- 4.9%). 4. The turnover rates of dopamine in carotid bodies were determined at 0-6, 6-12, 12-24 h and 2 days after birth in hypoxic rats and in 2-day-old posthypoxic rat pups at different time intervals after termination of hypoxia. Postnatal hypoxia sustained a high turnover rate which decreased after termination of the hypoxia. 5. We propose that the weak chemoreflex in hypoxic rat pups is brought about by a high release of carotid body dopamine.