Since oxygen (O₂) is indispensable for mammalian life, every cell in the body is endowed with mechanisms to detect and to respond to changes in the O₂ levels in the microenvironment. The heart and the brain are the two most vital, life-supporting organs requiring a continuous supply of O₂ to sustain their high metabolic rate. On being challenged with hypoxia, maintenance of O₂ supply to these organs even at the cost of others becomes a priority. This review describes the cardiovascular, skeletal muscle vascular, pulmonary vascular and cerebrovascular remodelling in face of chronic mild hypoxia exposure and the underlying mechanisms, with special reference to the role of oxidative stress, hypoxia signalling, autonomic nervous mechanisms. The significance of the normalized wall index (NWI) in assessing the remodelling of the vessels particularly of the intramyocardial coronary artery has been underscored. The review also highlights the basic concepts of hypoxic preconditioning and the subsequent protection of the brain against an acute ischemic insult in preclinical studies hinting towards its possible therapeutic potential in the management of ischemic stroke.

由于氧气 (O ₂ ) 对于哺乳动物的生命是必不可少的，因此体内的每个细胞都具有检测和响应微环境中O ₂水平变化的机制。心脏和大脑是两个最重要的生命支持器官，需要持续供应 O ₂以维持其高代谢率。受缺氧挑战，维持O ₂甚至以牺牲其他器官为代价来供应这些器官成为当务之急。这篇综述描述了慢性轻度缺氧暴露下心血管、骨骼肌血管、肺血管和脑血管的重构及其潜在机制，特别提到了氧化应激、缺氧信号、自主神经机制的作用。标准化壁指数 (NWI) 在评估血管重塑，特别是心肌内冠状动脉的重塑方面的重要性已得到强调。该评价还强调了缺氧预处理的基本概念，以及随后在临床前研究中保护大脑免受急性缺血性损伤，暗示其在缺血性中风管理中可能具有治疗潜力。