Splenic Origin of Early-Labeled Bilirubin in Rats Exposed to High Altitude

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Abstract
The formation of early-labeled [14C]bilirubin (ELB) from the pulse-injected heme precursor, [2-14C]glycine was measured in rats. Chronic exposure to a simulated altitude of 18,000 ft increased the rate of ELB formation 2- to 3-fold over sea level controls for periods of up to 40 h following precursor injection. Splenectomy significantly reduced the rate of ELB formation in altitude-exposed rats in the 0-5 h interval after precursor injection, but splenectomy had no effect in sea level controls. Conversely, hypoxia increased the rate of ELB excretion in splenectomized rats in the 10-20 h interval after injection, but not at earlier time intervals. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that an exaggerated splenic erythropoiesis with effective and ineffective components develops in the rat as a result of chronic exposure to extreme altitude.

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