Journal of Applied Physiology AJP: Renal Physiology
HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
 QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced]


     


J Appl Physiol 86: 1257-1263, 1999;
8750-7587/99 $5.00
This Article
Right arrow Abstract Freely available
Right arrow Full Text (PDF) Free
Right arrow Submit a response
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me when eLetters are posted
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Right arrow Citation Map
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by McCanse, W.
Right arrow Articles by Gonzalez, N. C.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by McCanse, W.
Right arrow Articles by Gonzalez, N. C.
Vol. 86, Issue 4, 1257-1263, April 1999

Effect of chronic sodium cyanate administration on O2 transport and uptake in hypoxic and normoxic exercise

Web McCanse1, Kyle Henderson1, Tetsuya Urano2, Ichiro Kuwahira2, Richard L. Clancy1, and Norberto C. Gonzalez1

1 Department of Molecular and Integrative Physiology, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, Kansas 66160-7401; and 2 Department of Medicine, Tokai University School of Medicine, Isehara, Kanagawa 259-1193, Japan


    ABSTRACT
TOP
ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION
METHODS
RESULTS
DISCUSSION
REFERENCES

Systemic O2 transport during maximal exercise at different inspired PO2 (PIO2) values was studied in sodium cyanate-treated (CY) and nontreated (NT) rats. CY rats exhibited increased O2 affinity of Hb (exercise O2 half-saturation pressure of Hb = 27.5 vs. 42.5 Torr), elevated blood Hb concentration, pulmonary hypertension, blunted hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction, and normal ventilatory response to exercise. Maximal rate of convective O2 transport was higher and tissue O2 extraction was lower in CY than in NT rats. The relative magnitude of these opposing changes, which determined the net effect of cyanate on maximal O2 uptake (VO2 max), varied at different PIO2: VO2 max (ml · min-1 · kg-1) was lower in normoxia (72.8 ± 1.9 vs. 81.1 ± 1.2), the same at 70 Torr PIO2 (55.4 ± 1.4 vs. 54.1 ± 1.4), and higher at 55 Torr PIO2 (48 ± 0.7 vs. 40.4 ± 1.9) in CY than in NT rats. The beneficial effect of cyanate on VO2 max at 55 Torr PIO2 disappeared when Hb concentration was lowered to normal. It is concluded that the effect of cyanate on VO2 max depends on the relative changes in blood O2 convection and tissue O2 extraction, which vary at different PIO2. Although uptake of O2 by the blood in the lungs is enhanced by cyanate, its release at the tissues is limited, probably because of a reduction in the capillary-to-tissue PO2 diffusion gradient secondary to the increased O2 affinity of Hb.

hemoglobin-oxygen affinity; hemoglobin-oxygen dissociation curve; low oxygen half-saturation pressure of hemoglobin; leftward oxygen dissociation curve shift; maximal exercise capacity; systemic oxygen transport; convective oxygen delivery; capillary-to-cell oxygen diffusion; oxygen extraction


    INTRODUCTION
TOP
ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION
METHODS
RESULTS
DISCUSSION
REFERENCES

THE EFFECT OF CHANGES in the O2 affinity of Hb on O2 transport and uptake is still poorly understood. A decrease in O2 affinity of Hb [rightward shift of the O2 dissociation curve of Hb (ODC) and increase in the PO2 necessary to obtain 50% O2 saturation of Hb (P50)] occurs in acclimatization to altitude, and this is thought to be advantageous for O2 transport in hypoxia, since it may facilitate O2 unloading in the tissues (1, 13). On the other hand, animals indigenous to altitude (2) show high O2 affinity of Hb (low P50 and leftward ODC shift), and rats with a leftward ODC shift showed increased survival rate to extreme hypoxia (5). Studies in quiescent or contracting isolated skeletal muscles have also shown apparently contradictory results concerning O2 transport, extraction, and utilization after changes in P50 (9, 11, 15, 17).

Despite continuing interest in the subject, relatively few data are available on the effect of changes in the O2 affinity of Hb on the mechanisms of systemic O2 transport in intact animals, particularly during maximal exercise. Experimental data on this subject are needed, because the effects of changes in O2 affinity of Hb on O2 transport during exercise are not easy to predict. In general, changes in O2 affinity of Hb are likely to have opposing effects on Hb oxygenation in the lungs and deoxygenation in the tissues. Furthermore, because the change in O2 saturation of Hb produced by a given ODC shift is smaller at PO2 above ~80 Torr and below ~20 Torr than at intermediate PO2, the magnitude of the change in O2 uptake in the lungs relative to O2 release in the tissues is likely to vary at different levels of inspired PO2 (PIO2). Finally, it is not clear how the changes in the different links of the O2 transport system secondary to ODC shifts may interact with one another in the intact organism and whether compensatory mechanisms may exist that modify the effect of these changes.

The purpose of the present studies was to determine the effect of a leftward shift of the ODC on O2 transport and uptake during maximal exercise at various PIO2 levels. Maximal exercise was chosen, because maximal O2 consumption (VO2 max) provides an accurate measurement of the capacity of the entire transport system to deliver and utilize O2 under a given set of conditions; furthermore, under appropriate circumstances, it is possible to determine the conductance of one or more of the links that compose the O2 transport chain. Accordingly, the effect of an experimental intervention on the transport capacity of the entire system, as well as that of the individual links, can be established, and the mechanism of action of the intervention can be determined.

Our hypothesis was that a leftward shift of the ODC would result in an increase in the maximal rate of convective O2 delivery to the tissues and, at the same time, result in a decrease in the extraction of O2 by the tissues. We further hypothesized that the relative magnitude of these two opposing changes would determine the effect of the ODC shift on VO2 max and that this effect would differ at different levels of PIO2. To test this hypothesis we used an animal, the rat, that has been used frequently in studies of O2 transport under different environmental conditions (3, 7, 8, 12, 21).


    METHODS
TOP
ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION
METHODS
RESULTS
DISCUSSION
REFERENCES

Animal model. Male Sprague-Dawley rats weighing 225-250 g were randomly assigned to two groups: a group that received 0.2% sodium cyanate in the drinking water for 3 wk (CY group) and a nontreated (NT) group. Cyanate irreversibly carbamylates the amino terminal of valine and results in an increase in the O2 affinity of Hb (4). Sodium cyanate administration was discontinued at 3 wk; 1 wk later, CY and NT animals were anesthetized using pentobarbital sodium (40 mg/kg ip); a PE-50 catheter was placed in the left carotid artery, and a PE-10 catheter was introduced into the main pulmonary artery with the help of an introducer guide catheter. Adequate positioning of the pulmonary artery catheter was determined by the blood pressure tracing and verified at autopsy 1 day later, after the experiment was concluded. The catheters were tunneled subcutaneously, exteriorized at the back of the neck, cut at a length of 2 in., and flame sealed.

Exercise protocol. The exercise test took place 24 h after catheter placement. The animals were weighed, their rectal temperature was measured, and they were placed on a treadmill enclosed in an airtight Lucite chamber adapted for the determination of O2 uptake (VO2) and CO2 production (VCO2) by the open-circuit method. The catheters were connected, through sampling ports located on the top of the box enclosing the treadmill, to pressure transducers. After 30 min in the treadmill, 0.5-ml arterial and mixed venous blood samples were obtained via stopcocks, the blood was replaced with homologous fresh blood from the same group (CY or NT), and the treadmill was set at a speed of 10 m/min. This speed was maintained for 2-3 min, then the treadmill was set at an angle of 10° and the speed was increased by 4 m/min every 90-120 s until VO2 max was reached. VO2 max was defined as the VO2 after which an increase in work rate was not associated with a further increase (±5%) in VO2.

Arterial and mixed venous blood samples were obtained during the last 45-60 s of exercise, while VO2 and VCO2 showed steady values. The box enclosing the treadmill was opened, and the rectal temperature was determined within 30 s of termination of exercise.

Gas exchange and O2 transport determinations. Gas enters and leaves the box enclosing the treadmill through independent in- and outflow ports. PIO2 was adjusted to the desired level by mixing O2 and N2. Flow of the gas mixture entering the treadmill box was maintained constant at 20 l/min ATPS by using a Cameron Instruments precision gas flow mixer. In- and outflowing O2 concentrations and outflowing CO2 concentration (inflowing gas was CO2 free) were measured continuously and simultaneously using an Applied Electrochemistry O2 analyzer and a Columbus Instruments CO2 analyzer, respectively. Gas flow from the box was measured continuously with a dry-gas meter. The output of the O2 and CO2 meters was fed into a computer to provide determination of VO2, VCO2, and the respiratory exchange ratio every 5 s. VO2 and VCO2 were calculated from the in- and outflowing O2 concentration difference, the outflowing CO2 concentration, and gas flow from the box and expressed in milliliters per minute per kilogram STPD. PIO2 was calculated from the O2 concentration in the treadmill gas with use of ambient barometric pressure and the appropriate (rest or exercise) rectal temperature; "ideal" alveolar PO2 (PAO2) was calculated from the alveolar gas equation with the assumption that arterial PCO2 (PaCO2) is equal to PACO2. Alveolar ventilation (VA) was calculated as the ratio of VCO2 to PaCO2 and expressed in milliliters per minute per kilogram STPD.

Arterial and mixed venous blood samples were analyzed for pH, PO2, and PCO2 by using appropriate electrodes at 38°C and for Hb concentration ([Hb]) and O2 saturation of Hb and were corrected for the rectal temperature by using temperature correction factors for rat blood (8).

Systemic and pulmonary arterial pressures were recorded continuously, with mean pressures obtained by electronic integration. Heart rate was obtained directly from the systemic arterial blood pressure tracing.

O2 contents (ml/dl) of arterial (CaO2) and mixed venous blood (C<OVL>v</OVL>O2) were calculated from [Hb], PO2, and O2 saturation by using an Hb-O2 binding factor of 1.34 ml/g STPD and an O2 solubility coefficient of 0.003 ml · Torr-1 · dl-1. Cardiac output (Q, ml · min-1 · kg-1) was calculated as VO2/(CaO2 - C<OVL>v</OVL><SUB>O<SUB>2</SUB></SUB>). The rate of convective O2 transport (TO2, ml · min-1 · kg-1) was calculated as Q × CaO2. The O2 extraction ratio was calculated as (CaO2 - C<OVL>v</OVL>O2)/CaO2.

Experimental design. Nine groups of animals were studied, with 9-12 animals each. Three groups of CY (CY1) and three groups of NT animals were exercised at ~55, 70, and 140 Torr PIO2 each. Because sodium cyanate treatment resulted in elevated blood [Hb] (see RESULTS and Table 1), three additional groups of CY rats (CY2) were included in which blood [Hb] was reduced to the normal value by isovolumic exchange transfusion of plasma obtained from donor rats. The transfusion was carried out immediately before the exercise run.

                              
View this table:
[in this window]
[in a new window]
 
Table 1.   Pulmonary gas exchange and blood oxygenation parameters during maximal exercise

Values are means ± SE. Comparisons were made between NT, CY1, and CY2 at a given PIO2. Statistical analysis was carried out using ANOVA. Significance was established with the t-test using the Bonferroni correction for multiple comparisons.


    RESULTS
TOP
ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION
METHODS
RESULTS
DISCUSSION
REFERENCES

Although the mean body weight tended to be smaller in CY1 and CY2 than in NT rats, the difference did not reach statistical significance (Table 1). Administration of sodium cyanate resulted in a marked leftward shift of the ODC, as demonstrated in Fig. 1, which shows the arterial (SaO2) and mixed venous blood O2 saturation of Hb plotted as a function of the corresponding PO2 values observed for all groups during maximal exercise. The ODCs represented by the solid lines in Fig. 1 have P50 values of 27.5 and 42.5 Torr for CY and NT, respectively. These values reflect the low blood pH and high temperature of maximal exercise.


View larger version (16K):
[in this window]
[in a new window]
 
Fig. 1.   O2 saturation of Hb in arterial and mixed venous blood as a function of corresponding PO2. Values are means ± SE of all groups during maximal exercise. NT, nontreated rats; CY1, rats treated with 0.2% sodium cyanate for 3 wk; CY2, cyanate-treated rats with Hb concentration lowered to normal values by isovolumic exchange transfusion of plasma. Solid lines, O2 dissociation curves constructed using Hill's equation with O2 half-saturation pressure of Hb (P50) of 27.5 and 42.5 Torr for CY and NT groups, respectively.

For any level of PIO2, PAO2 and VA/VO2 were comparable in NT and CY groups (Table 1); however, the PAO2-arterial PO2 (PaO2) difference [(A-a)PO2] was significantly higher in CY rats (Fig. 2), which resulted in significantly lower PaO2 values in CY rats than in the corresponding NT rats (Table 1). Within the CY groups, the (A-a)PO2 was higher in CY2 than in CY1 rats at all PIO2 levels. In all groups the (A-a)PO2 values increased with PIO2 (Fig. 2).


View larger version (12K):
[in this window]
[in a new window]
 
Fig. 2.   Alveolar-arterial (A-a) PO2 difference as a function of inspired PO2 (PIO2). Values are means ± SE for all groups during maximal exercise. See Fig. 1 legend for description of groups.

[Hb] was significantly higher in CY1 than in NT rats (Table 1). The isovolumic exchange transfusion of plasma effectively decreased [Hb] of CY2 to that of NT rats. For a given PIO2, O2 saturation of Hb in arterial blood was higher in CY than in NT groups, despite the lower PaO2 of CY rats (Table 1). No significant differences in SaO2 were observed between CY1 and CY2 rats, except during normoxic exercise, when SaO2 was slightly higher in CY2 rats (Table 1). CaO2 was significantly higher in CY1 than in NT rats at all levels of PIO2 (Table 1). CaO2 of CY2 rats was not significantly different from that of NT rats in normoxic exercise, and values were intermediate between NT and CY1 rats at the lower PIO2 levels (Table 1). Venous O2 saturation of Hb and C<OVL>v</OVL>O2 were higher in the CY groups than in the corresponding NT groups at all PIO2 values (Table 1). In addition, at 70 and 55 Torr PIO2, O2 saturation in mixed venous blood and C<OVL>v</OVL>O2 were significantly higher in CY1 than in CY2 rats (Table 1).

All groups showed the typical acid-base features of maximal exercise observed in this model: relatively low plasma pH, hypocapnia, and low plasma HCO-3 concentration (7, 8). During normoxic exercise, the NT group showed plasma pH 7.36 ± 0.03, PaCO2 24.3 ± 0.6 Torr, and plasma HCO-3 13.6 ± 1.3 mM. Although there was a tendency for lower pH values in CY1 and CY2 than in NT rats, this never reached statistical significance. In hypoxic exercise, PaCO2 of NT groups was lower (20.3 ± 0.4 and 19.9 ± 1.2 Torr at 70 and 55 Torr PIO2, respectively) than in normoxia, reflecting the hypoxic hyperventilation; there was no difference between these and the corresponding PaCO2 values of the CY groups.

The effect of cyanate administration on VO2 max varied depending on the PIO2 as well as the [Hb]: in normoxic exercise VO2 max was highest in NT, intermediate in CY1, and lowest in CY2 rats (Table 2); at 70 Torr PIO2, there was no difference in VO2 max between NT and CY1 rats, whereas CY2 rats showed the lowest VO2 max (Table 2). At 55 Torr PIO2, VO2 max was highest in CY1 rats, with no significant difference between NT and CY2 rats. The rate of convective O2 delivery, TO2 max, was higher in CY1 animals than in the other two groups at all PIO2 levels. In normoxia, there was no difference in TO2 max between NT and CY2 rats, whereas in hypoxia TO2 max was higher in CY2 than in NT rats (Table 2). In all cases, the O2 extraction ratio was significantly higher in the NT than in the corresponding CY groups. In addition, the O2 extraction ratio was higher in CY2 than CY1 rats at 70 Torr PIO2. In the NT groups the O2 extraction ratio tended to increase with the severity of hypoxia, with the difference between 140 and 55 Torr PIO2 reaching statistical significance. This progressive tendency for an increase in the O2 extraction ratio as PIO2 decreased was not observed in the CY groups.

                              
View this table:
[in this window]
[in a new window]
 
Table 2.   Systemic O2 transport and hemodynamic parameters during maximal exercise

There were no significant effects of cyanate administration on Q, heart rate, or mean systemic arterial pressure (Table 2). In general, systemic arterial pressure and vascular resistance tended to decrease as the severity of hypoxia increased, but the changes were comparable in all three groups. CY1 and CY2 rats showed pulmonary hypertension in normoxia; however, pulmonary arterial pressure did not increase further with exposure to hypoxia, as it did in the NT group (Table 2).


    DISCUSSION
TOP
ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION
METHODS
RESULTS
DISCUSSION
REFERENCES

Sodium cyanate, as administered in the present study, substantially increased the O2 affinity of Hb, as evidenced by the leftward shift of the ODC, which persisted under conditions of maximal exercise (Fig. 1). The major observation of the present studies was that the leftward ODC shift resulted in an increase in the rate of maximal convective O2 delivery to the tissues; this effect was potentiated in the CY1 groups by the elevated [Hb] but was still evident in hypoxic exercise in CY2 rats, where [Hb] was normal. The effect of the elevated TO2 max, on the other hand, was offset by a decrease in the O2 extraction ratio, such that the resulting VO2 max depended on the relative magnitude of these two opposing changes, which, in turn, varied with the prevailing PIO2.

Limitations of the experimental model. Sodium cyanate administration affected the O2 transport system at several levels: the pulmonary gas exchange, the rate of convective O2 transport by blood, and the O2 extraction by the tissues. These effects can largely be explained on the basis of the leftward shift of the ODC.

The possible role of cyanate effects not due to the leftward ODC shift is likely to be minor. In the present experiments the CY rats gained less weight than their littermates during the 3 wk of cyanate administration; however, during the following week their weight gain exceeded that of the NT group, such that by the time the experiments were performed there were no significant weight differences between NT and CY rats (Table 1). The rapid elimination of cyanate from the body (4) suggests that cyanate levels would be negligible 1 wk after cessation of cyanate treatment. Essentially no effects other than those secondary to Hb carbamylation have been detected in several species (4). On the other hand, a decrease in respiratory capacity of isolated liver mitochondria was demonstrated in mice treated with a higher sodium cyanate concentration than that used here (16). Whether this effect is localized to the liver or extends to other tissues such as skeletal muscle is not clear; in the same study, no effects of cyanate on resting whole body VO2 were observed.

Ventilation and pulmonary gas exchange. There was no difference in VA/ VO2 between NT and the corresponding CY groups (Table 1), indicating that the ventilatory response to exercise is not influenced by cyanate administration at any of the PIO2 values studied. Previous studies have shown that cyanate does not modify the ventilatory response to hypoxia at rest (3). The present data extend these findings to the exercise condition and indicate that neither the ventilatory response to exercise nor the ventilatory response to hypoxia in conditions of maximal exercise is affected by cyanate.

Despite comparable ventilatory responses, PaO2 was significantly lower and the (A-a)PO2 was higher in CY than in NT rats; this effect was larger in the CY2 groups, where [Hb] was lower than in CY1 rats (Fig. 2). A lower resting PaO2 in rats chronically treated with cyanate has been reported (3, 12, 19). The mechanisms responsible for this are not clear. The increase in (A-a)PO2 as PIO2 increased (Fig. 2) suggests a contribution of ventilation-perfusion (VA/Qc) mismatch. The presence of pulmonary hypertension in the CY animals would support a VA/Qc mismatch as responsible for the elevated (A-a)PO2, since the vascular remodeling that accompanies prolonged pulmonary hypertension could modify pulmonary blood flow distribution and lead to increased VA/Qc heterogeneity. On the other hand, previous studies from our laboratory showed that rats with pulmonary hypertension due to chronic environmental hypoxia do not present a larger (A-a)PO2 than control animals exercising in hypoxic or normoxic conditions (7, 8). It is possible that the low P50 as well as the presence of low VA/Qc units may contribute to the low PaO2 of the CY rats: computer models of gas exchange indicate that a leftward shift of the ODC will exaggerate the effect on (A-a)PO2 produced by a low VA/Qc distribution (20). Additionally, the larger (A-a)PO2 of CY2 than of CY1 rats may result in part from diffusion limitation, since pulmonary diffusing capacity is influenced by [Hb], which was lower in CY2 rats. Regardless of its mechanism, the decrease in PaO2 tends to offset the beneficial effect of the leftward shift of the ODC on the oxygenation of Hb in the lungs.

Circulatory convective O2 transport. Cyanate administration resulted in an increase in CaO2 through an increase in [Hb] and in O2 saturation of Hb. The relative contribution of these two factors depended on the PIO2: during normoxia, CaO2 increased largely as a result of the elevated [Hb]; as PIO2 decreased, the contribution of the increased SaO2 to the higher blood O2 content of the CY rats became more important. Elevated [Hb] in normoxic environments is a characteristic of cyanate treatment (19) and is associated with elevated serum erythropoietin levels (12). This feature, as well as the pulmonary hypertension and the blunted hypoxic pulmonary hypertensive response observed by us during maximal exercise (Table 2) and by others in resting conditions (19), is characteristic of chronic cyanate administration. These "hypoxia-like" effects (19) are probably the result of the leftward shift of the ODC, which results in lower PO2 values needed to unload O2 in the tissues.

Maximal Q (Qmax) of the CY groups did not differ significantly from that of their NT counterparts (Table 2). This suggests that the decrease in O2 extraction associated with the leftward shift of the ODC did not influence myocardial oxygenation to an extent that could result in a deterioration of myocardial performance that would be evidenced, in turn, by a decrease in Qmax. Previous studies in resting conditions showed that cyanate treatment did not modify Q, coronary blood flow, or flow to various organs of rats exposed to PIO2 values comparable to those of the present study (21). Because Qmax was not affected, the changes in CaO2 produced by cyanate administration were translated into proportionate changes in the maximal rate of convective O2 delivery to the tissues.

VO2 max. The effect of cyanate on VO2 max depended on the PIO2 and, for any PIO2 level, on the [Hb]. Cyanate treatment decreased VO2 max in normoxia; the magnitude of this decrease was reduced as PIO2 was lowered. Eventually the effect of cyanate on VO2 max was reversed, with VO2 max of CY1 rats being higher than that in NT rats at the lowest PIO2. When the confounding effect of the elevated [Hb] was eliminated, VO2 max was lower at all PIO2 values in the CY rats, with the difference between NT and CY2 rats decreasing as PIO2 was reduced (Table 2).

The effect of cyanate on VO2 max at various PIO2 and [Hb] values can be explained if the relationship between VO2 max and TO2 max is considered (Fig. 3). Delta VO2 max/Delta TO2 max is the average O2 extraction ratio, which is represented by the slope of the solid lines fitting the NT and CY groups. In the CY and NT groups, changes in TO2 max were accompanied by proportionate changes in VO2 max; however, as a result of the reduced O2 extraction of the CY groups (Table 2), VO2 max was lower in CY than in NT rats at comparable levels of TO2 max. Accordingly, VO2 max of the CY groups was ultimately determined by the balance between the opposing changes in TO2 max and in the O2 extraction by the tissues. The relative magnitude of these changes varied according to the prevailing PIO2 and, for a given PIO2, on the [Hb], with the negative effect of cyanate on VO2 max being moderated as PIO2 decreased and [Hb] increased. Because the negative effect of the leftward ODC shift on VO2 max is reduced as PIO2 decreases, it is conceivable that the increase in TO2 max may eventually outweigh the decrease in O2 extraction when extremely low PO2 values are reached and that a beneficial effect of a leftward ODC shift may occur in these conditions. This could explain the higher survival rate of CY rats exposed to a barometric pressure of 223 Torr, the equivalent of an altitude of >9,000 m (5). Nevertheless, our results clearly show that if [Hb] is maintained constant, a leftward shift of the ODC has a negative impact on VO2 max over a wide range of PIO2 values.


View larger version (17K):
[in this window]
[in a new window]
 
Fig. 3.   Maximal rate of O2 uptake (VO2 max) plotted as a function of maximal rate of convective O2 delivery (TO2 max), calculated as maximal cardiac output × arterial blood O2 content. Regression lines were calculated from individual values. Data from CY1 and CY2 rats were pooled to calculate regression line. See Fig. 1 legend for description of groups.

A recent theoretical analysis (23) showed that optimal P50, defined as the P50 that results in the highest VO2 max, decreases as PIO2 decreases. This is in general agreement with the directional changes observed in the present experiments; however, the predicted sensitivity of VO2 max to changes in P50 was very low, with VO2 max at the various PIO2 values changing <5% over a fairly wide range of P50 values. Part of the discrepancy between the present data and the theoretical predictions appears to be due to the difference in the changes in O2 extraction as a function of PIO2: in the present experiments the O2 extraction ratio remained relatively constant, for a given P50 value, at the three different PIO2 values; in the model predictions, however, O2 extraction decreased as PIO2 decreased. This behavior would tend to limit the effect on VO2 max of a change in P50.

A major conclusion of the present study is that the rate at which O2 is consumed by an intact animal during maximal exercise can be dissociated from the rate of convective O2 delivery to the tissues (Fig. 3). Although a dissociation of VO2 max from TO2 max has been demonstrated in isolated skeletal muscle (9, 10, 15), we have no knowledge of such an observation in intact animals. These results show that, as it was shown in isolated skeletal muscle, TO2 max is not the only determinant of VO2 max in intact animals.

Tissue O2 extraction. The low O2 extraction ratio of the CY groups agrees with previous observations of a reduction in tissue O2 extraction and an increase in the rate of convective O2 transport needed to maintain "critical" VO2 during progressive hypoxia in anesthetized, cyanate-treated dogs (24). Studies on cyanate-treated dogs exercising submaximally also showed elevated convective delivery of O2 in hypoxia and a reduced O2 extraction (18). However, the effect of cyanate on VO2 max was not determined in those studies.

A question that remains is, Why did the O2 extraction ratio fall with sodium cyanate administration? In other words, what prevented the venous blood flowing through the contracting muscles from reducing its O2 saturation of Hb? If this were to occur, the arteriovenous O2 content difference and the O2 extraction would increase (Fig. 4), and, other things being equal, VO2 max would increase.


View larger version (15K):
[in this window]
[in a new window]
 
Fig. 4.   Hb-O2 dissociation curve constructed from average blood values of CY1 and NT rats at 70 Torr PIO2. a and v, Average arterial and mixed venous blood values, respectively; v', mixed venous blood composition that would exist if O2 saturation of CY1 rats had decreased to value of NT rats. See Fig. 1 legend for description of groups.

Barring a direct depressing effect of cyanate on muscle oxidative capacity, the low O2 extraction ratio could be the result of the leftward shift of the ODC, which would determine that, to lower O2 saturation of Hb in the tissue capillaries, PO2 must be lowered to levels that would compromise the PO2 gradient between the capillary and the cell, thus limiting O2 diffusion between those two sites (Fig. 4). This explanation implies that tissue O2 diffusion is a critical determinant of VO2 max, a concept that has been advanced by Wagner and colleagues (9, 10, 15, 22). If venous PO2 is considered a reflection of the average tissue capillary PO2 and if the skeletal muscle cell PO2 during maximal exercise is assumed to be very low (6, 14), then venous PO2 values should reflect the PO2 diffusion gradient from capillary to cell (9, 10, 15, 22). In the present case, mixed venous PO2 (P<A><AC>v</AC><AC>¯</AC></A><SUB>O<SUB>2</SUB></SUB>) is taken as representative of muscle effluent PO2. Although this is a simplification, the contribution of nonmuscle tissues to VO2 during maximal exercise is minimal, and P<A><AC>v</AC><AC>¯</AC></A><SUB>O<SUB>2</SUB></SUB> should still largely reflect the PO2 of working locomotory muscles. If VO2 max were in part limited by tissue O2 diffusion, a positive correlation between VO2 max and P<A><AC>v</AC><AC>¯</AC></A><SUB>O<SUB>2</SUB></SUB> should be observed. That this is the case is shown in Fig. 5, where VO2 max is plotted as a function of P<A><AC>v</AC><AC>¯</AC></A><SUB>O<SUB>2</SUB></SUB> for all the experimental groups. Within the constraints of the assumptions mentioned above, the positive relationship between VO2 max and P<A><AC>v</AC><AC>¯</AC></A><SUB>O<SUB>2</SUB></SUB> is consistent with the notion that tissue diffusion limitation is one of the determinants of VO2 max in intact animals: a larger PO2 gradient between capillary and cell is needed to effect a larger O2 transfer between those sites.


View larger version (16K):
[in this window]
[in a new window]
 
Fig. 5.   VO2 max as a function of mixed venous PO2 (P<A><AC>v</AC><AC>¯</AC></A><SUB>O<SUB>2</SUB></SUB>). A single regression line was calculated from data of all groups. See Fig. 1 legend for description of groups.

In summary, chronic administration of sodium cyanate to rats resulted in a leftward shift of the ODC and marked changes in the O2 transport system. The net effect of these changes on VO2 max was the result of a balance between an increase in the rate of convective O2 delivery and a decrease in the O2 extraction ratio, the relative magnitude of which depended on the PIO2 and the [Hb]. The decrease in O2 extraction is consistent with a limitation of tissue O2 diffusion secondary to the leftward shift of the ODC, which would compromise the PO2 diffusion gradient between capillaries and muscle cells. The data support the notion that VO2 max of intact animals is determined by the interaction between the rate of O2 delivered to the tissue capillaries and the rate of O2 diffusion from capillaries to cells.


    ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The authors thank Dr. Peter D. Wagner for helpful discussions of the data. The skillful technical assistance of Julie A. Koehler is gratefully acknowledged.


    FOOTNOTES

This study was supported by National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Grant HL-39443 and American Heart Association, Kansas Affiliate, Grant KS-96-GS-66.

The costs of publication of this article were defrayed in part by the payment of page charges. The article must therefore be hereby marked "advertisement" in accordance with 18 U.S.C. §1734 solely to indicate this fact.

Address for reprint requests and other correspondence: N. C. Gonzalez, Dept. of Molecular and Integrative Physiology, University of Kansas Medical Center, 3901 Rainbow Blvd., Kansas City, KS 66160-7401.

Received 24 July 1998; accepted in final form 3 December 1998.


    REFERENCES
TOP
ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION
METHODS
RESULTS
DISCUSSION
REFERENCES

1.   Aste-Salazar, H., and A. Hurtado. The affinity of hemoglobin for oxygen at sea level and high altitude. Am. J. Physiol. 230: 1751-1754, 1944.

2.   Banchero, N., R. F. Grover, and J. A. Will. Oxygen transport in the llama (Lama glama). Respir. Physiol.. 13: 102-115, 1971[Medline].

3.   Birchard, G., and S. M. Tenney. The hypoxic ventilatory response of rats with increased blood O2 affinity. Respir. Physiol. 66: 225-233, 1986[Medline].

4.   Cerami, A. T., A. Allen, J. H. Graziano, F. G. de Furia, J. M. Manning, and P. N. Gillete. Pharmacology of cyanate: general effects on experimental animals. J. Pharmacol. Exp. Ther. 185: 653-666, 1973[Abstract/Free Full Text].

5.   Eaton, J. W., T. D. Skelton, and E. Berger. Survival at extreme altitude: protective effect of increased hemoglobin-oxygen affinity. Science 183: 743-744, 1974[Abstract/Free Full Text].

6.   Gayeski, T. E., R. J. Connett, and C. R. Honig. Minimum intracellular PO2 for maximum cytochrome turnover in muscle in situ. Am. J. Physiol. 252 (Heart Circ. Physiol. 21): H906-H915, 1987[Abstract/Free Full Text].

7.   Gonzalez, N. C., R. L. Clancy, and P. D. Wagner. Determinants of maximal O2 uptake in rats acclimated to simulated altitude. J. Appl. Physiol. 75: 1608-1614, 1993[Abstract/Free Full Text].

8.   Gonzalez, N. C., K. Perry, Y. Moue, R. L. Clancy, and J. Piiper. Pulmonary gas exchange during hypoxic exercise in the rat. Respir. Physiol. 96: 111-125, 1994[Medline].

9.   Hogan, M. C., D. E. Bebout, and P. D. Wagner. Effect of an increased Hb-O2 affinity on VO2 max at constant O2 delivery in dog muscle in situ. J. Appl. Physiol. 70: 2656-2662, 1991[Abstract/Free Full Text].

10.   Hogan, M. C., J. Roca, J. B. West, and P. D. Wagner. Dissociation of maximal O2 uptake from O2 delivery in canine gastrocnemius in situ. J. Appl. Physiol. 66: 1219-1226, 1989[Abstract/Free Full Text].

11.   Kohzukhi, H., Y. Enoki, S. Shimizu, and S. Sakata. High blood O2 affinity and relationship of O2 uptake and delivery in resting muscle. Respir. Physiol. 62: 197-208, 1993.

12.   Lechermann, B., and W. Jelkmann. Erythropoietin production in normoxic and hypoxic rats with increased blood O2 affinity. Respir. Physiol. 60: 1-8, 1985[Medline].

13.   Lenfant, C., J. Torrance, E. English, C. A. Finch, D. Reynafarje, J. Ramos, and J. Faura. Effect of altitude on oxygen binding by hemoglobin and on organic phosphate levels. J. Clin. Invest. 47: 2652-2656, 1968.

14.   Richardson, R. S., E. A. Noyszewski, K. F. Kendrick, J. S. Leigh, and P. D. Wagner. Myoglobin O2 desaturation during exercise. Evidence of limited O2 transport. J. Clin. Invest. 96: 1916-1926, 1995.

15.   Richardson, R. S., K. Tagore, L. J. Haseler, M. Jordan, and P. D. Wagner. Increased VO2 max with right-shifted Hb-O2 dissociation curve at a constant O2 delivery in dog muscle in situ. J. Appl. Physiol. 84: 995-1002, 1998[Abstract/Free Full Text].

16.   Rivera, C. M., O. Dunin-Borkowski, F. León-Velarde, L. Huicho, M. Vargas, and C. Monge. Metabolic effects of cyanate on mice at sea level and in chronic hypobaric hypoxia. Life Sci. 49: 439-445, 1991[Medline].

17.   Ross, B. K., and M. P. Hlastala. Increased hemoglobin-oxygen affinity does not decrease skeletal muscle oxygen consumption. J. Appl. Physiol. 51: 864-870, 1981[Abstract/Free Full Text].

18.   Schumacker, P. T., A. J. Suggett, P. D. Wagner, and J. B. West. Role of hemoglobin P50 in O2 transport during hypoxic and normoxic exercise in the dog. J. Appl. Physiol. 59: 749-757, 1985[Abstract/Free Full Text].

19.   Teisseire, B. P., C. C. Vieillendent, L. J. Teisseire, M. O. Vallez, R. A. Herigault, and D. N. Laurent. Chronic sodium cyanate treatment induces "hypoxia-like" effects in rats. J. Appl. Physiol. 60: 1145-1149, 1986[Abstract/Free Full Text].

20.   Turek, Z., and F. Kreuzer. Effect of shifts of the O2 dissociation curve upon alveolar-arterial O2 gradients in computer models of the lung with ventilation-perfusion mismatching. Respir. Physiol. 45: 133-139, 1981[Medline].

21.   Turek, Z., F. Kreuzer, M. Turek-Maischeider, and B. E. M. Ringnalda. Blood O2 content, cardiac output, and flow to organs at several levels of oxygenation in rats with a left-shifted blood O2 dissociation curve. Pflügers Arch. 376: 201-207, 1978[Medline].

22.   Wagner, P. D. An integrated view of the determinants of maximum oxygen uptake. In: Oxygen Transfer From Atmosphere to Tissue, edited by N. C. Gonzalez, and M. R. Fedde. New York: Plenum, 1988, p. 245-256.

23.   Wagner, P. D. Insensitivity of VO2 max to hemoglobin P50 at sea level and altitude. Respir. Physiol. 107: 205-212, 1997[Medline].

24.   Warley, A., and G. Gutierrez. Chronic administration of sodium cyanate decreases O2 extraction ratio in dogs. J. Appl. Physiol. 64: 1584-1590, 1988[Abstract/Free Full Text].


J APPL PHYSIOL 86(4):1257-1263
8570-7587/99 $5.00 Copyright © 1999 the American Physiological Society



This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
J. Appl. Physiol.Home page
N. C. Gonzalez, S. D. Kirkton, R. A. Howlett, S. L. Britton, L. G. Koch, H. E. Wagner, and P. D. Wagner
Continued divergence in VO2 max of rats artificially selected for running endurance is mediated by greater convective blood O2 delivery
J Appl Physiol, November 1, 2006; 101(5): 1288 - 1296.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
J. Appl. Physiol.Home page
K. K. Henderson, H. Wagner, F. Favret, S. L. Britton, L. G. Koch, P. D. Wagner, and N. C. Gonzalez
Determinants of maximal O2 uptake in rats selectively bred for endurance running capacity
J Appl Physiol, October 1, 2002; 93(4): 1265 - 1274.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
J. Appl. Physiol.Home page
K. K. Henderson, R. L. Clancy, and N. C. Gonzalez
Living and training in moderate hypoxia does not improve {V}O2 max more than living and training in normoxia
J Appl Physiol, June 1, 2001; 90(6): 2057 - 2062.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
J. Appl. Physiol.Home page
K. K. Henderson, W. McCanse, T. Urano, I. Kuwahira, R. Clancy, and N. C. Gonzalez
Acute vs. chronic effects of elevated hemoglobin O2 affinity on O2 transport in maximal exercise
J Appl Physiol, July 1, 2000; 89(1): 265 - 272.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
Ann. N. Y. Acad. Sci.Home page
M. ATALAY and C. K. SEN
Physical Exercise and Antioxidant Defenses in the Heart
Ann. N.Y. Acad. Sci., June 30, 1999; 874(1): 169 - 177.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


This Article
Right arrow Abstract Freely available
Right arrow Full Text (PDF) Free
Right arrow Submit a response
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me when eLetters are posted
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Right arrow Citation Map
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by McCanse, W.
Right arrow Articles by Gonzalez, N. C.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by McCanse, W.
Right arrow Articles by Gonzalez, N. C.


HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
Visit Other APS Journals Online