Spectrophotometric and Fluorometric Analysis of the Rat Carotid Body Under Hypoxia

The mechanism of the transducing process enabling the carotid body chemoreceptor to build up a nervous signal in relation to blood gases is still a matter of discussion. A generally accepted concept defines this process as a Po2-dependent transmitter release from type I cells, which in the post-synaptic afferent nerve endings generates in a complex way action potentials via spontaneously depolarizing potentials (1).