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Behavioral and physiological changes associated with chronic tracheal obstructions (TO) in conscious rats

Our laboratory uses a cuff implanted around the trachea to elicit respiratory TO in conscious rats. We hypothesized that repeated TO in conscious rats will elicit load compensation, blood pressure (BP) and stress responses. All animals were instrumented with a BP probe, diaphragm electromyography electrodes and tracheal cuff. After recovery, experimental animals (Exp) received cuff inflations, 3–8 seconds per inflation, over the course of a 20 minute time period. Control animals (Con) were placed in the testing chamber for the same amount of time with no TO. This was repeated once a day for 10 days. All animals were tested on an elevated plus maze (EPM) for anxiety on the day before obstructions began and on day 10. Animals were sacrificed on the 10th day. Blood was collected for measurement of corticosterone (CORT) and adrenals weighed. Baseline physiological measurements and EPM were compared within animals for the first and last day and between groups. In Exp, TO response was compared for the first and last day. In Exp, TO elicited load compensation and increased BP. Adrenal weight/body ratio was greater in Exp than Con (p = 0.02), and Exp animals spent more time on the closed arms of EPM post‐TO conditioning compared to Con and pre‐TO. The results suggest that TO conditioning elicits load compensation, hypertensive, and anxiety stress responses.