Ecto‐5′‐nucleotidase (CD73) regulates peripheral chemoreceptor activity and cardiorespiratory responses to hypoxia

摘要

Key points class="unordered" style="list-style-type:disc" id="tjp12454-list-0001">Carotid body dysfunction is recognized as a cause of hypertension in a number of cardiorespiratory diseases states and has therefore been identified as a potential therapeutic target.Purinergic transmission is an important element of the carotid body chemotransduction pathway.We show that inhibition of ecto‐5′‐nucleotidase (CD73) in vitro reduces carotid body basal discharge and responses to hypoxia and mitochondrial inhibition.Additionally, inhibition of CD73 in vivo decreased the hypoxic ventilatory response, reduced the hypoxia‐induced heart rate elevation and exaggerated the blood pressure decrease in response to hypoxia.Our data show CD73 to be a novel regulator of carotid body sensory function and therefore suggest that this enzyme may offer a new target for reducing carotid body activity in selected cardiovascular diseases.