Effects of aging on vasoconstrictor and mechanical properties of rat skeletal muscle arterioles

2002 ◽  
Vol 282 (5) ◽  
pp. H1843-H1854 ◽  
Author(s):  
Judy Muller-Delp ◽  
Scott A. Spier ◽  
Michael W. Ramsey ◽  
Lisa A. Lesniewski ◽  
Anthony Papadopoulos ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mechanical Properties ◽  
Skeletal Muscle ◽  
Blood Flow ◽  
Muscle Blood Flow ◽  
Intraluminal Pressure ◽  
Aged Rats ◽  
Mechanical Stiffness ◽  
Fischer 344 ◽  
Effects Of Aging ◽  
Gastrocnemius Muscles

Exercise capacity and skeletal muscle blood flow during exercise are reduced with advancing age. This reduction in blood flow capacity may be related to increased reactivity of skeletal muscle resistance vessels to vasoconstrictor stimuli. The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that aging results in increased vasoconstrictor responses of skeletal muscle resistance arterioles. First-order (1A) arterioles (90–220 μm) from the gastrocnemius and soleus muscles of young (4 mo) and aged (24 mo) Fischer-344 rats were isolated, cannulated, and pressurized via hydrostatic reservoirs. Vasoconstriction in response to increases in norepinephrine (NE; 1 × 10−9–1 × 10−4 M) and KCl (20–100 mM) concentrations and increases in intraluminal pressure (10–130 cmH2O) were evaluated in the absence of flow. Responses to NE and KCl were similar in both soleus and gastrocnemius muscle arterioles from young and aged rats. In contrast, active myogenic responses to changes in intraluminal pressure were diminished in soleus and gastrocnemius arterioles from aged rats. To assess whether alterations in the mechanical properties of resistance arterioles underlie altered myogenic responsiveness, passive diameter responses to pressure and mechanical stiffness were evaluated. There was no effect of age on the structural behavior (passive pressure-diameter relationship) or stiffness of arterioles from either the soleus or gastrocnemius muscles. These results suggest that aging does not result in a nonspecific decrease in vasoconstrictor responsiveness of skeletal muscle arterioles. Rather, aging-induced adaptations of vasoreactivity of resistance arterioles appear to be limited to mechanisms that are uniquely involved in the signaling of the myogenic response.

Enhanced arteriolar α-adrenergic constriction impairs dilator responses and skeletal muscle perfusion in obese Zucker rats

2004 ◽  
Vol 97 (2) ◽  
pp. 764-772 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jefferson C. Frisbee
Keyword(s):  
Skeletal Muscle ◽  
Blood Flow ◽  
Gastrocnemius Muscle ◽  
Muscle Blood Flow ◽  
Zucker Rats ◽  
Metabolic Demand ◽  
Obese Zucker Rats ◽  
Isometric Twitch ◽  
Gastrocnemius Muscles

The present study tested the hypothesis that enhanced vascular α-adrenergic constriction in obese Zucker rats (OZR) impairs arteriolar dilation and perfusion of skeletal muscle at rest and with increased metabolic demand. In lean Zucker rats (LZR) and OZR, isolated gracilis arterioles were viewed via television microscopy, and the contralateral cremaster muscle or gastrocnemius muscle was prepared for study in situ. Gracilis and cremasteric arterioles were challenged with dilator stimuli under control conditions and after blockade of α-adrenoreceptors with prazosin, phentolamine, or yohimbine. Gastrocnemius muscles performed isometric twitch contractions of increasing frequency, and perfusion was continuously monitored. In OZR, dilator responses of arterioles to hypoxia (gracilis), wall shear rate (cremaster), acetylcholine, and iloprost (both) were impaired vs. LZR. Treatment with prazosin and phentolamine (and in cremasteric arterioles only, yohimbine) improved arteriolar reactivity to these stimuli in OZR, although responses remained impaired vs. LZR. Gastrocnemius muscle blood flow was reduced at rest in OZR; this was corrected with intravenous infusion of phentolamine or prazosin. At all contraction frequencies, blood flow was reduced in OZR vs. LZR; this was improved by infusion of phentolamine or prazosin at low-moderate metabolic demand only (1 and 3 Hz). At 5 Hz, adrenoreceptor blockade did not alter blood flow in OZR from levels in untreated rats. These results suggest that enhanced α-adrenergic constriction of arterioles of OZR contributes to impaired dilator responses and reduced muscle blood flow at rest and with mild-moderate (although not with large) elevations in metabolic demand.

Exercise training enhances flow-induced vasodilation in skeletal muscle resistance arteries of aged rats: role of PGI2 and nitric oxide

2007 ◽  
Vol 292 (6) ◽  
pp. H3119-H3127 ◽  
Author(s):  
Scott A. Spier ◽  
Michael D. Delp ◽  
John N. Stallone ◽  
James M. Dominguez ◽  
Judy M. Muller-Delp
Keyword(s):  
Nitric Oxide ◽  
Skeletal Muscle ◽  
Exercise Training ◽  
Gastrocnemius Muscle ◽  
Aged Rats ◽  
Resistance Arteries ◽  
Fischer 344 ◽  
Young Rats ◽  
Old Rats ◽  
Gastrocnemius Muscles

Flow-induced vasodilation is attenuated with old age in rat skeletal muscle arterioles. The purpose of this study was to determine whether diminished cyclooxygenase (COX) signaling contributes to the age-induced attenuation of flow-induced vasodilation in gastrocnemius muscle arterioles and to determine whether, and through which mechanism(s), exercise training restores this deficit in old rats. Fischer 344 rats (3 and 22 mo old) were assigned to a sedentary or exercise-trained group. First-order arterioles were isolated from the gastrocnemius muscles, cannulated, and pressurized to 70 cmH2O. Diameter changes were determined in response to graded increases in intraluminal flow in the presence and absence of nitric oxide synthase (NOS) inhibition [10−5 M NG-nitro-l-arginine methyl ester (l-NAME)], COX inhibition (10−5 M indomethacin), or combination NOS (10−5 Ml-NAME) plus COX (10−5 M indomethacin) inhibition. Aging reduced flow-induced vasodilation in gastrocnemius muscle arterioles. Exercise training restored responsiveness to flow in arterioles of aged rats and enhanced flow-induced vasodilation in arterioles from young rats. l-NAME inhibition of flow-induced vasodilation was greater in arterioles from old rats compared with those from young rats and was increased after exercise training in arterioles from both young and old rats. Although the indomethacin-sensitive portion of flow-induced dilation was not altered by age or training, both COX-1 mRNA expression and PGI2 production increased with training in arterioles from old rats. These data demonstrate that exercise training restores flow-induced vasodilation in gastrocnemius muscle arterioles from old rats and enhances flow-induced vasodilation in gastrocnemius muscle arterioles from young rats. In arterioles from both old and young rats, the exercise training-induced enhancement of flow-induced dilation occurs primarily through a NOS mechanism.

Altered regional blood flow responses to submaximal exercise in older rats

2004 ◽  
Vol 96 (1) ◽  
pp. 81-88 ◽  
Author(s):  
Timothy I. Musch ◽  
Kevin E. Eklund ◽  
K. Sue Hageman ◽  
David C. Poole
Keyword(s):  
Blood Flow ◽  
Regional Blood Flow ◽  
Muscle Blood Flow ◽  
Submaximal Exercise ◽  
Brown Norway ◽  
Maximal Aerobic Capacity ◽  
Fischer 344 ◽  
Hindlimb Muscles ◽  
Effects Of Aging ◽  
Small And Large Intestine

Maximal aerobic capacity and the ability to sustain submaximal exercise (Ex) declines with advancing age. Whether altered muscle blood flow (BF) plays a mechanistic role in these effects remains to be resolved. The present investigation determined the effects of aging on the hemodynamic and regional BF response to submaximal Ex in rats. Heart rate (HR), mean arterial pressure (MAP), and BF to different organs (kidneys, splanchnic organs, and 28 hindlimb muscles) were determined at rest and during submaximal treadmill Ex (20 m/min, 5% grade) with radiolabeled microspheres in young (Y; 6-8 mo old, 339 ± 8 g, n = 9) and old (O; 27-29 mo old, 504 ± 18 g, n = 7) Fischer 344 × Brown Norway rats. Results demonstrated that HR, MAP, and BF to the pancreas, small and large intestine, and total hindlimb musculature were similar between Y and O rats at rest. BF to the kidneys, spleen, and stomach were 33, 60, and 43% lower, respectively, in O compared with Y rats. BF to the total hindlimb musculature increased ( P < 0.05) during Ex and was similar for both Y and O rats (Y: 16 ± 3 to 124 ± 7 vs. O: 20 ± 3 to 137 ± 12 ml·min-1·100 g-1). However, in O vs. Y rats, BF was reduced in 6 (highly oxidative) and elevated in 8 (highly glycolytic) of the 28 individual hindquarter muscles or muscle parts examined ( P < 0.05). During Ex, BF to the spleen and stomach decreased ( P < 0.05) from rest in Y rats, whereas BF decreased in the kidneys, pancreas, spleen, stomach, as well as the small and large intestines of O rats. In conclusion, these data demonstrate that, despite similar increases in total hindlimb BF in Y and O rats during submaximal Ex, there is a profound BF redistribution from highly oxidative to highly glycolytic muscles.

scholarly journals Attenuation of rapid onset vasodilation with advanced age : roles of adrenergic and endothelial signaling

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Shenghua Yuan Sinkler
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Skeletal Muscle ◽  
Blood Flow ◽  
Sympathetic Nerve ◽  
Sympathetic Nerve Activity ◽  
Muscle Blood Flow ◽  
Rapid Onset ◽  
Nerve Activity ◽  
Endothelium Dysfunction ◽  
Effects Of Aging

Rapid onset vasodilation (ROV) occurs immediately in response to skeletal muscle contraction and initiates a prompt increase in blood flow and oxygen delivery that facilitate the transition to exercise. Muscle blood flow is attenuated during aging which limits physical activity. Understanding the mechanisms that attenuate ROV requires invasive measurements that cannot be performed in human subjects. Published studies indicate that the effects of aging on muscle blood flow are similar in mice and in humans. Using our established mouse model to study the actual blood vessels that control blood flow in living skeletal muscle, the focus of my research is to understand where and how aging affects ROV in light of enhanced sympathetic nerve activity and endothelium dysfunction. A mouse was anesthetized and a skeletal muscle was prepared for studying individual microvessels using a microscope. The muscle was stimulated to contract with the amount and speed of vessel opening (vasodilation) recorded. I used selective interventions to modulate sympathetic or endothelial function and compared ROV for each vessel branch between Young (4 months) and Old (24 months) mice to resolve the effects of aging. I found that sympathetic activation attenuates ROV and that endothelium is integral to ROV. Thus, enhanced sympathetic nerve activity and endothelium dysfunction with aging attenuates ROV. These effects are greater effects in larger upstream vessels, which can restrict blood flow into active muscles. My research provides new insight for improving muscle blood flow, thereby promoting physical activity to improve the quality of life for aging individuals.

scholarly journals Sympathetic vasoconstriction in skeletal muscle: Modulatory effects of aging, exercise training, and sex

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Darren S DeLorey
Keyword(s):  
Blood Pressure ◽  
Skeletal Muscle ◽  
Blood Flow ◽  
Exercise Training ◽  
Vascular Resistance ◽  
Vascular Function ◽  
Muscle Blood Flow ◽  
Skeletal Muscle Blood Flow ◽  
Sympathetic Vasoconstriction ◽  
Effects Of Aging

The sympathetic nervous system (SNS) is a critically important regulator of the cardiovascular system. The SNS controls cardiac output and its distribution, as well as peripheral vascular resistance and blood pressure at rest and during exercise. Aging is associated with increased blood pressure and decreased skeletal muscle blood flow at rest and in response to exercise. The mechanisms responsible for the blunted skeletal muscle blood flow response to dynamic exercise with aging have not been fully elucidated; however, increased muscle sympathetic nerve activity (MSNA), elevated vascular resistance and a decline in endothelium-dependent vasodilation are commonly reported in older adults. In contrast to aging, exercise training has been shown to reduce blood pressure and enhance skeletal muscle vascular function. Exercise training has been shown to enhance nitric oxide-dependent vascular function and may improve the vasodilatory capacity of the skeletal muscle vasculature; however, surprisingly little is known about the effect of exercise training on the neural control of circulation. The control of blood pressure and skeletal muscle blood flow also differs between males and females. Blood pressure and MSNA appear to be lower in young females compared to males. However, females experience a larger increase in MSNA with aging compared to males. The mechanism(s) for the altered SNS control of vascular function in females remain to be determined. Novelty: • This review will summarize our current understanding of the effects of aging, exercise training and sex on sympathetic vasoconstriction at rest and during exercise. • Areas where additional research is needed are also identified.

Aging impairs endothelium-dependent vasodilation in rat skeletal muscle arterioles

2002 ◽  
Vol 283 (4) ◽  
pp. H1662-H1672 ◽  
Author(s):  
Judy M. Muller-Delp ◽  
Scott A. Spier ◽  
Michael W. Ramsey ◽  
Michael D. Delp
Keyword(s):  
Skeletal Muscle ◽  
Blood Flow ◽  
Soleus Muscle ◽  
Intraluminal Pressure ◽  
First Order ◽  
Flow Capacity ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Endothelial Impairment ◽  
Gastrocnemius Muscles ◽  
Pressure Changes

Blood flow capacity in skeletal muscle declines with age. Reduced blood flow capacity may be related to decline in the maximal vasodilatory capacity of the resistance vasculature. This study tested the hypothesis that aging results in impaired vasodilatory capacity of first-order (1A) arterioles isolated from rat-hindlimb locomotory muscle: 1A arterioles (90–220 μm) from gastrocnemius and soleus muscles of young (4 mo) and aged (24 mo) Fischer-144 rats were isolated, cannulated, and pressurized via hydrostatic reservoirs. Vasodilatory responses to increasing concentrations of ACh (10−9 to 10−4 M), adenosine (ADO, 10−10 to 10−4 M), and sodium nitroprusside (SNP, 10−10 to 10−4 M) were evaluated at a constant intraluminal pressure of 60 cmH2O in the absence of flow. Flow-induced vasodilation was also evaluated in the absence of pressure changes. Responses to ADO and SNP were not altered by age. Endothelium-dependent vasodilation induced by flow was significantly reduced in arterioles from both gastrocnemius and soleus muscles. In contrast, endothelium-dependent vasodilation to ACh was reduced only in soleus muscle arterioles. These results indicate that aging impairs vasodilatory responses mediated through the endothelium of resistance arterioles from locomotory muscle, whereas smooth muscle vasodilatory responses remain intact with aging. Additionally, ACh-induced vasodilation was altered by age only in soleus muscle arterioles, suggesting that the mechanism of age-related endothelial impairment differs in arterioles from soleus and gastrocnemius muscles.

Effects of aging on cardiac output, regional blood flow, and body composition in Fischer-344 rats

1998 ◽  
Vol 85 (5) ◽  
pp. 1813-1822 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael D. Delp ◽  
Marina V. Evans ◽  
Changping Duan
Keyword(s):  
Skeletal Muscle ◽  
Blood Flow ◽  
Cardiac Output ◽  
Prostate Gland ◽  
Aged Rats ◽  
Adult Rats ◽  
Juvenile Rats ◽  
Fischer 344 ◽  
Brain And Spinal Cord ◽  
Distribution Of Cardiac Output

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of maturation and aging on cardiac output, the distribution of cardiac output, tissue blood flow (determined by using the radioactive-microsphere technique), and body composition in conscious juvenile (2-mo-old), adult (6-mo-old), and aged (24-mo-old) male Fischer-344 rats. Cardiac output was lower in juvenile rats (51 ± 4 ml/min) than in adult (106 ± 5 ml/min) or aged (119 ± 10 ml/min) rats, but cardiac index was not different among groups. The proportion of cardiac output going to most tissues did not change with increasing age. However, the fraction of cardiac output to brain and spinal cord tissue and to skeletal muscle was greater in juvenile rats than that in the two adult groups. In addition, aged rats had a greater percent cardiac output to adipose tissue and a lower percent cardiac output to cutaneous and reproductive tissues than that in juvenile and adult rats. Differences in age also had little effect on mass-specific perfusion rates in most tissues. However, juvenile rats had lower flows to the pancreas, gastrointestinal tract, thyroid and parathyroid glands, and kidneys than did adult rats, and aged rats had lower flows to the white portion of rectus femoris muscle, spleen, thyroid and parathyroid glands, and prostate gland than did adult rats. Body mass of juvenile rats was composed of a lower percent adipose mass and a greater fraction of brain and spinal cord, heart, kidney, liver, and skeletal muscle than that of the adult and aged animals. Relative to the young adult rats, the body mass of aged animals had a greater percent adipose tissue mass and a lower percent skeletal muscle and skin mass. These data demonstrate that maturation and aging have a significant effect on the distribution of cardiac output but relatively little influence on mass-specific tissue perfusion rates in conscious rats. The old-age-related alterations in cardiac output distribution to adipose and cutaneous tissues appear to be associated with the increases in percent body fat and the decreases in the fraction of skin mass, respectively, whereas the decrease in the portion of cardiac output directed to reproductive tissue of aged rats appears to be related to a decrease in mass-specific blood flow to the prostate gland.

Neural control of glucose uptake by skeletal muscle after central administration of NMDA

1995 ◽  
Vol 268 (2) ◽  
pp. R492-R497 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. H. Lang ◽  
M. Ajmal ◽  
A. G. Baillie
Keyword(s):  
Skeletal Muscle ◽  
Blood Flow ◽  
Glucose Uptake ◽  
Neural Control ◽  
Plasma Insulin ◽  
Regional Blood Flow ◽  
Muscle Blood Flow ◽  
Whole Body ◽  
Glucose Disposal ◽  
Central Administration

Intracerebroventricular injection of N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) produces hyperglycemia and increases whole body glucose uptake. The purpose of the present study was to determine in rats which tissues are responsible for the elevated rate of glucose disposal. NMDA was injected intracerebroventricularly, and the glucose metabolic rate (Rg) was determined for individual tissues 20-60 min later using 2-deoxy-D-[U-14C]glucose. NMDA decreased Rg in skin, ileum, lung, and liver (30-35%) compared with time-matched control animals. In contrast, Rg in skeletal muscle and heart was increased 150-160%. This increased Rg was not due to an elevation in plasma insulin concentrations. In subsequent studies, the sciatic nerve in one leg was cut 4 h before injection of NMDA. NMDA increased Rg in the gastrocnemius (149%) and soleus (220%) in the innervated leg. However, Rg was not increased after NMDA in contralateral muscles from the denervated limb. Data from a third series of experiments indicated that the NMDA-induced increase in Rg by innervated muscle and its abolition in the denervated muscle were not due to changes in muscle blood flow. The results of the present study indicate that 1) central administration of NMDA increases whole body glucose uptake by preferentially stimulating glucose uptake by skeletal muscle, and 2) the enhanced glucose uptake by muscle is neurally mediated and independent of changes in either the plasma insulin concentration or regional blood flow.

scholarly journals Effects of aging and exercise training on spinotrapezius muscle microvascular Po2 dynamics and vasomotor control

2011 ◽  
Vol 110 (3) ◽  
pp. 695-704 ◽  
Author(s):  
Danielle J. McCullough ◽  
Robert T. Davis ◽  
James M. Dominguez ◽  
John N. Stabley ◽  
Christian S. Bruells ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Skeletal Muscle ◽  
Blood Flow ◽  
Exercise Training ◽  
Sodium Nitroprusside ◽  
Vascular Function ◽  
Treadmill Running ◽  
Aged Rats ◽  
Phosphorescence Quenching

With advancing age, there is a reduction in exercise tolerance, resulting, in part, from a perturbed ability to match O2 delivery to uptake within skeletal muscle. In the spinotrapezius muscle (which is not recruited during incline treadmill running) of aged rats, we tested the hypotheses that exercise training will 1) improve the matching of O2 delivery to O2 uptake, evidenced through improved microvascular Po2 (PmO2), at rest and throughout the contractions transient; and 2) enhance endothelium-dependent vasodilation in first-order arterioles. Young (Y, ∼6 mo) and aged (O, >24 mo) Fischer 344 rats were assigned to control sedentary (YSED; n = 16, and OSED; n = 15) or exercise-trained (YET; n = 14, and OET; n = 13) groups. Spinotrapezius blood flow (via radiolabeled microspheres) was measured at rest and during exercise. Phosphorescence quenching was used to quantify PmO2 in vivo at rest and across the rest-to-twitch contraction (1 Hz, 5 min) transition in the spinotrapezius muscle. In a follow-up study, vasomotor responses to endothelium-dependent (acetylcholine) and -independent (sodium nitroprusside) stimuli were investigated in vitro. Blood flow to the spinotrapezius did not increase above resting values during exercise in either young or aged groups. Exercise training increased the precontraction baseline PmO2 (OET 37.5 ± 3.9 vs. OSED 24.7 ± 3.6 Torr, P < 0.05); the end-contracting PmO2 and the time-delay before PmO2 fell in the aged group but did not affect these values in the young. Exercise training improved maximal vasodilation in aged rats to acetylcholine (OET 62 ± 16 vs. OSED 27 ± 16%) and to sodium nitroprusside in both young and aged rats. Endurance training of aged rats enhances the PmO2 in a nonrecruited skeletal muscle and is associated with improved vascular smooth muscle function. These data support the notion that improvements in vascular function with exercise training are not isolated to the recruited muscle.

scholarly journals Sequential alterations in the diameters of capillaries in rabbit skeletal muscle following deep transverse friction - a morphometric study

2005 ◽  
Vol 61 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
M. A. Gregory ◽  
M. N. Deane ◽  
M. Marsh
Keyword(s):  
Skeletal Muscle ◽  
Blood Flow ◽  
Muscle Blood Flow ◽  
Biceps Femoris ◽  
Cross Sectional Area ◽  
Sectional Area ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Biceps Femoris Muscle ◽  
Beneficial Effects ◽  
The Cross

Objective: The precise mechanisms by which massage promotes repair in injured soft tissue are unknown. Various authorshave attributed the beneficial effects of massage to vasodilation and increased skin and muscle blood flow. The aim of this study was to determine whether deep transverse friction massage (DTF) causes capillary vasodilation in untraumatised skeletal muscle. Setting: Academic institution.Interventions: Twelve New Zealand white rabbits were anaesthetised and the left biceps femoris muscle received 10 minutes of DTF. Following treatment, wedge biopsies were taken from the musclewithin 10 minutes of treatment (R1 - 4), 24 hours (R5 - 8) and 6 days(R9 - 12) after treatment. To serve as controls, similar biopsies weretaken from the right biceps femoris of animals. The samples were fixed, dehydrated and embedded in epoxy resin.Transverse sections (1µm) of muscle were cut, stained with 1% aqueous alkaline toluidine blue and examined with a light microscope using a 40X objective. Images containing capillaries were captured using an image analyser with SIS software and the cross sectional diameters of at least 60 capillaries were measured from each specimen. Main Outcome Measures: Changes in capillary diameter. Results: The mean capillary diameters in control muscle averaged 4.76 µm. DTF caused a significant immediate increase of 17.3% in cross sectional area (p<0.001), which was not significantly increased by 10.0% after 24 hours (p>0.05). Six days after treatment the cross-sectional area of the treated muscle was 7.6% smaller than the controls. Conclusions: This confirms the contention that DTF stimulates muscle blood flow immediately after treatment and this may account for its beneficial effects in certain conditions. 

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