Vagal cardiac efferent innervation in F344 rats: Effects of chronic intermittent hypoxia

Chronic intermittent hypoxia (CIH), which is a physiological consequence of obstructive sleep apnea, reduces baroreflex control of heart rate (HR). Previously, we showed that the heart rate (HR) response to electrical stimulation of the vagal efferent nerve was significantly increased following CIH in F344 rats. Since vagal cardiac efferent from the nucleus ambiguus (NA) project to cardiac ganglia and regulate HR, we hypothesized that vagal cardiac efferent innervation of cardiac ganglia is reorganized. Young adult F344 rats were exposed either to room air (RA) or to intermittent hypoxia for 35–50 days. Fluorescent tracer DiI was injected into the NA to label vagal efferent innervation of cardiac ganglia which had been counterstained by Fluoro-Gold (FG) injections (i.p). Confocal microscopy was used to examine vagal cardiac efferent axons and terminals in cardiac ganglia. NA axons entered cardiac ganglia and innervated principal neurons (PNs) with robust basket endings in both RA control and CIH animals. In addition, the percentage of PNs which were innervated by DiI-labeled fibers in ganglia was similar. In CIH rats, abnormally large swollen cardiac axon segments and disorganized terminals as well as leaky endings were observed. In general, vagal efferent terminal varicosities around PNs appeared larger and the number of varicosities was significantly increased. Interestingly, some cardiac axons had sprouting-like terminal structures in the cardiac ganglia as well as in cardiac muscle, which had not been found in RA control. Finally, CIH increased the size of PNs and reduced the ratio of nucleus to PN somata. Thus, CIH significantly remodeled the structure of vagal cardiac axons and terminals in cardiac ganglia as well as cardiac PNs.