Scientific Reports (Feb 2021)

Benefit of a single simulated hypobaric hypoxia in healthy mice performance and analysis of mitochondria-related gene changes

  • Fei-Fei Wu,
  • Kun-Long Zhang,
  • Zheng-Mei Wang,
  • Yi Yang,
  • Shao-Hua Li,
  • Jia-Qi Wang,
  • Jin Ma,
  • Yan-Ling Yang,
  • Hai-Feng Zhang,
  • Ya-Yun Wang

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-80425-8
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 11, no. 1
pp. 1 – 18

Abstract

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Abstract Simulated hypobaric hypoxia (SHH) training has been used to enhance running performance. However, no studies have evaluated the effects of a single SHH exposure on healthy mice performance and analyzed the changes of mitochondria-related genes in the central nervous system. The current study used a mouse decompression chamber to simulate mild hypobaric hypoxia at the high altitude of 5000 m or severe hypobaric hypoxia at 8000 m for 16 h (SHH5000 & SHH8000, respectively). Then, the mouse behavioral tests were recorded by a modified Noldus video tracking. Third, the effects of SHH on 8 mitochondria-related genes of Drp1, Mfn1, Mfn2, Opa1, TFAM, SGK1, UCP2 and UCP4, were assessed in cerebellum, hippocampus and gastrocnemius muscles. The results have shown that a single mild or severe HH improves healthy mice performance. In cerebellum, 6 of all 8 detected genes (except Mfn2 and UCP4) did not change after SHH. In hippocampus, all detected genes did not change after SHH. In muscles, 7 of all 8 detected genes (except Opa1) did not change after SHH. The present study has indicated the benefit of a single SHH in healthy mice performance, which would due to the stabilized mitochondria against a mild stress state.