Journal of Comparative Physiology B

, Volume 185, Issue 6, pp 669–676 | Cite as

Autonomic control of post-air-breathing tachycardia in Clarias gariepinus (Teleostei: Clariidae)

  • Mariana Teodoro Teixeira
  • Vinicius Araújo Armelin
  • Augusto Shinya Abe
  • Francisco Tadeu Rantin
  • Luiz Henrique Florindo
Original Paper
First Online:
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:

Abstract

The African catfish (Clarias gariepinus) is a teleost with bimodal respiration that utilizes a paired suprabranchial chamber located in the gill cavity as an air-breathing organ. Like all air-breathing fishes studied to date, the African catfish exhibits pronounced changes in heart rate (f H) that are associated with air-breathing events. We acquired f H, gill-breathing frequency (f G) and air-breathing frequency (f AB) in situations that require or do not require air breathing (during normoxia and hypoxia), and we assessed the autonomic control of post-air-breathing tachycardia using an infusion of the β-adrenergic antagonist propranolol and the muscarinic cholinergic antagonist atropine. During normoxia, C. gariepinus presented low f AB (1.85 ± 0.73 AB h−1) and a constant f G (43.16 ± 1.74 breaths min−1). During non-critical hypoxia (PO2 = 60 mmHg), f AB in the African catfish increased to 5.42 ± 1.19 AB h−1 and f G decreased to 39.12 ± 1.58 breaths min−1. During critical hypoxia (PO2 = 20 mmHg), f AB increased to 7.4 ± 1.39 AB h−1 and f G decreased to 34.97 ± 1.78 breaths min−1. These results were expected for a facultative air breather. Each air breath (AB) was followed by a brief but significant tachycardia, which in the critical hypoxia trials, reached a maximum of 143 % of the pre-AB f H values of untreated animals. Pharmacological blockade allowed the calculation of cardiac autonomic tones, which showed that post-AB tachycardia is predominantly regulated by the parasympathetic subdivision of the autonomic nervous system.

Keywords

African catfish Autonomic control Air breathing Hypoxia Tachycardia 
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Notes

Acknowledgments

This research was supported by Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (CAPES) (M.T.T. Master Fellowship), the Brazilian National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq) and São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP), through the Brazilian National Institute of Science and Technology in Comparative Physiology (INCT—FisC). We are grateful to Polettini fish farm for their donation of the C. gariepinus specimens. We would also like to thank the INCT—FisC professors and three anonymous reviewers for their comments and suggestions.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Ethics in animal experimentation

The experiments conducted in the current study were approved by the São Paulo State University (UNESP/IBILCE) Ethical Committee for Animal Research (Proc. 057/2011 CEUA), and are in accordance with all of the regulations and ethical guidelines in Brazil.

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Copyright information

© Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2015

Authors and Affiliations

  • Mariana Teodoro Teixeira
    • 1
    • 4
  • Vinicius Araújo Armelin
    • 2
    • 4
  • Augusto Shinya Abe
    • 3
    • 4
  • Francisco Tadeu Rantin
    • 2
    • 4
  • Luiz Henrique Florindo
    • 1
    • 4
  1. 1.Department of Zoology and BotanySão Paulo State University (UNESP)São José Do Rio PretoBrazil
  2. 2.Department of Physiological SciencesFederal University of São Carlos (UFSCar)São CarlosBrazil
  3. 3.Department of ZoologySão Paulo State University (UNESP)Rio ClaroBrazil
  4. 4.National Institute of Science and Technology in Comparative Physiology (INCT–FAPESP/CNPq)São PauloBrazil

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