DNA synthesis in the ventricular myocardium of young rats exposed to intermittent high altitude (IHA) hypoxia. An autoradiographic study.

Intermittent high altitude (IHA) hypoxia (7000 m) increased the wet weight of the right ventricular myocardium of 30-day-old rats after two 4 h/day exposures. During the same period the number of DNA-synthesizing nuclei of both muscle and non-muscle cell types increased proportionally. After 4 such exposures to hypoxia the number of 3H-thymidine-labelled nuclei in both cell types increased further. In addition, the number of labelled nuclei increased significantly in the yet un-enlarged left ventricle. While there was no difference in the number of DNA-synthesizing cells between the right and left ventricles in control animals, a significant increase in the number of cells involved in DNA synthesis in the right ventricle was found in both groups of animals exposed to IHA hypoxia. These results show that DNA synthesis in myonuclei of the ventricular myocardium can be stimulated in 30-day-old rats, i.e. at the very end of the weaning period.