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. 2023 Aug 4;13(1):12659.
doi: 10.1038/s41598-023-39894-w.

Endocrine, inflammatory and immune responses and individual differences in acute hypobaric hypoxia in lowlanders

Takayuki Nishimura  1 , Midori Motoi  2 , Hideo Toyoshima  3 , Fumi Kishida  4 , Sora Shin  5 , Takafumi Katsumura  6 , Kazuhiro Nakayama  7 , Hiroki Oota  8 , Shigekazu Higuchi  9 , Shigeki Watanuki  9 , Takafumi Maeda  9
Affiliations

Endocrine, inflammatory and immune responses and individual differences in acute hypobaric hypoxia in lowlanders

Takayuki Nishimura et al. Sci Rep. .

Erratum in

Abstract

When lowlanders are exposed to environments inducing hypobaric hypoxia (HH) such as high mountains, hemodynamic changes occur to maintain oxygen levels in the body. However, changes to other physiological functions under such conditions have yet to be clarified. This study investigated changes in endocrine, inflammatory and immune parameters and individual differences during acute HH exposure using a climatic chamber (75 min of exposure to conditions mimicking 3500 m) in healthy lowlanders. Aldosterone and cortisol were significantly decreased and interleukin (IL)-6, IL-8 and white blood cell (WBC) counts were significantly increased after HH. Lower peripheral oxygen saturation (SpO2) was associated with higher IL-6 and WBC counts, and higher IL-8 was associated with higher cortisol. These findings suggest that endocrine, inflammatory and immune responses are evoked even with a short 75-min exposure to HH and individuals with lower SpO2 seemed to show more pronounced responses. Our results provide basic data for understanding the physiological responses and interactions of homeostatic systems during acute HH.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Experimental timeline.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Individual changes in blood components and cytokines. Each color corresponds to an individual subject. After HH, aldosterone and cortisol are significantly decreased (p < 0.05) and WBC count, IL-6 and IL-8 are significantly increased (p < 0.05).
Figure 3
Figure 3
Correlation between SpO2 and HR at 135 min. SpO2 and HR show a negative correlation (r = − 0.618, p = 0.024) at the end of HH (135 min).
Figure 4
Figure 4
Correlation between SpO2 and changes in IL-6. SpO2 at 135 min and changes in IL-6 show a negative correlation (r = -0.613, p = 0.026).
Figure 5
Figure 5
Correlation between changes in IL-6 and WBC count. Changes in IL-6 and WBC counts show a positive correlation (r = 0.545, p = 0.026).
Figure 6
Figure 6
Correlation between changes in IL-8 and cortisol. Changes in IL-8 and cortisol show a positive correlation (r = 0.699, p = 0.003).
Figure 7
Figure 7
Correlation between changes in noradrenaline and HR at 135 min. Changes in noradrenaline and cortisol show a positive correlation (r = 0.700, p = 0.003).
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