Role of the nitric oxide pathway in hypoxia-induced hypothermia of rats

Hypothermia is a response to hypoxia that occurs in organisms ranging from protozoans to mammals, but very little is known about the mechanisms involved. Recently, the NO pathway has been suggested to be involved in thermoregulation. In the present study, we assessed the participation of nitric oxide in hypoxia-induced hypothermia by means of NO synthase inhibition using N-G-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME). The rectal temperature of awake, unrestrained rats was measured before and after hypoxia or L-NAME injection or both treatments together. Control animals received saline injections of the same volume. We observed a significant (P < 0.05) reduction in body temperature of 1.32 +/- 0.36 degrees C after hypoxia (7% inspired O-2) and of 0.96 +/- 0.42 degrees C after L-NAME (30 mg/kg body wt) injected intravenously. When the two treatments were combined, no significant difference in body temperature was observed. To assess the role of central thermoregulatory mechanisms, a smaller dose of L-NAME (1 mg/kg) was injected into the third cerebral ventricle or intravenously. Intracerebroventricular injection of L-NAME caused an increase in body temperature, but when L-NAME was combined with hypoxia (7% inspired O-2) no change in body temperature was observed. Intravenous injection of 1 mg/kg L-NAME had no effect. The data indicate that NO plays a major role in hypoxia-induced hypothermia at central rather than peripheral sites.