Role of Hypoxia Inducible Factor (HIF) and NADPH oxidases in regulation of Kv channels in pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells

Rationale: Hypoxia sensitive voltage gated K++ channels have been widely hypothesised for their role in regulating the contractility and growth of pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells (PASMC). Acute hypoxia leads to the inhibition of the hypoxia sensitive Kv channels whereas chronic hypoxia down-regulates their expression at both, mRNA and protein level in isolated rat PASMCs. Regarding the regulation of various Kv channels in hypoxia the role of reactive oxygen species (ROS) has been discussed but the mechanism of its action is still unclear. Objectives: We investigated the role of NADPH oxidases and ROS in reg…