Authors: Sergio Rey; Rodrigo Iturriaga

Source: Current Neurovascular Research, Volume 1, Number 5, December 2004 , pp. 465-473(9)

Publisher: Bentham Science Publishers

Abstract:

The carotid body (CB) is the main arterial chemoreceptor that senses arterial PO2, PCO2 and pH. The structural unit of the CB is the glomoid, which is formed by clusters of chemoreceptor (glomus) cells located around the capillaries. The glomus cells are synaptically connected to nerve terminals of petrosal ganglion (PG) neurons and surrounded by sustentacular cells. The most accepted model of CB chemoreception states that glomus cells are the primary sensors. In response to hypoxia, hypercapnia and acidosis, glomus cells release one or more transmitters, which acting on the nerve terminals of sensory PG neurons, increase the chemosensory discharge. The CB has a high blood flow and an elevated metabolism that correlate to its oxygen-sensing function. Thus, vasoactive molecules produced within the CB may modulate the chemosensory process by controlling the CB blood flow and tissue PO2. In this review, we examine recent evidence supporting the idea that endothelins (ETs) and nitric oxide (NO) modulate the CB function acting upon chemoreceptor cells and chemosensory neurons or by regulating the blood flow through the CB parenchyma.

Keywords: carotid body; chemoreceptor; endothelin; nitric oxide; vascular control

Document Type: Review article

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.2174/1567202043361857

Affiliations: 1: Laboratorio de Neurobiologia, Facultad de Ciencias Biologicas, P. Universidad Catolica of Chile, Casilla 114-D, Santiago 1, Chile.

Publication date: 2004-12-01

More about this publication?

• Current Neurovascular Research (CNR) provides a cross platform for the publication of scientifically rigorous research that addresses disease mechanisms of both neuronal and vascular origins in neuroscience. The journal serves as an international forum for the publication of novel and pioneering original work as well as timely neuroscience research reviews in the disciplines of cell developmental disorders, plasticity, and degeneration that bridge the gap between basic science research and clinical discovery. CNR emphasizes the elucidation of disease mechanisms, both cellular and molecular, which can impact the development of unique therapeutic strategies for neuronal and vascular disorders.

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