Prenatal hypoxia modifies cardiac performance in adult bobwhite quail, assessed by pressure‐volume loop analysis (1150.10)

Prenatal hypoxia modifies cardiac performance in adult bobwhite quail, assessed by pressure‐volume loop analysis Josele Flores‐Santin 1 joselefloressantin@my.unt.edu , Warren Burggren 1 Burggren@unt.edu 1 University of North Texas, Biology department, 1155 Union circle, Denton Texas U.S. The consequences of early embryonic stressors and how they affect subsequent adult life reflects the concept of “fetal programming”. This programming potentially produces functional anomalies in major organs including the lungs, the kidneys and the heart, based on studies of a limited number of “traditional” animal models for fetal programming. The aim of this project is to use a non‐traditional model ‐ the rapidly maturing bobwhite quail ‐ to study the effects of embryonic stressors as they manifest themselves in adults, with an emphasis on the working heart. The fast development along with the small size of quail makes them a potentially important alternative animal model to study cardiovascular physiology and the changes that prenatal stressors produce on it. In this study we submitted quail eggs to hypoxia (15%). This treatment accelerated hatching by one day (26±0.11) in comparison to controls (27.6±.12). The treatment also induced a lower hatching mass (6.9±1.0) than controls (5.9±0.1). Pressure‐volume loop SVL catheter technology was used to evaluate cardiovascular performance in adult birds (controls and following embryonic hypoxia). Hypoxic birds presented a phenotype resembling mammalian left ventricular hypertrophy, with a decreased cardiac output (38660±817), ejection fraction (38.8±0.4) and stroke work (11750±376). We conclude that bobwhite quail are a viable alternative model to study cardiovascular fetal programming. Grant Funding Source : Supported by NSF & CoMeCyT/CONACYT