Does Capsaicin Ingestion Affect Functional Sympatholysis And Vascular Functions?

Sympathetic vasoconstriction is blunted in exercising muscle (functional sympatholysis) but becomes attenuated with age. We tested the hypothesis that functional sympatholysis is further impaired in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients. We determined leg blood flow and calculated leg vascular conductance (LVC) during 1) femoral-arterial Tyramine infusion (evokes endogenous norepinephrine release, 1 µmol·min−1·kg leg mass−1), 2) one-legged knee extensor exercise with and without Tyramine infusion [10 W and 20% of maximal workload (WLmax)], 3) ATP (0.05 µmol·min−1·kg leg mass−1) and Tyramine infusion, and 4) incremental ATP infusions (0.05, 0.3, and 3.0 µmol·min−1·kg leg mass−1). We included 10 patients with moderate to severe COPD and 8 age-matched healthy control subjects. Overall, leg blood flow and LVC were lower in COPD patients during exercise ( P < 0.05). Tyramine reduced LVC in both groups at 10-W exercise (COPD: −3 ± 1 ml·min−1·mmHg−1and controls: −3 ± 1 ml·min−1·mmHg−1, P < 0.05) and 20% WLmax(COPD: −4 ± 1 ml·min−1·mmHg−1and controls: −3 ± 1 ml·min−1·mmHg−1, P < 0.05) with no difference between groups. Incremental ATP infusions induced dose-dependent vasodilation with no difference between groups, and, in addition, the vasoconstrictor response to Tyramine infused together with ATP was not different between groups (COPD: −0.03 ± 0.01 l·min−1·kg leg mass−1vs. controls: −0.04 ± 0.01 l·min−1·kg leg mass−1, P > 0.05). Compared with age-matched healthy control subjects, the vasodilatory response to ATP is intact in COPD patients and their ability to blunt sympathetic vasoconstriction (functional sympatholysis) as evaluated by intra-arterial Tyramine during exercise or ATP infusion is maintained.NEW & NOTEWORTHY The ability to blunt sympathetic vasoconstriction in exercising muscle and ATP-induced dilation in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients remains unexplored. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients demonstrated similar sympathetic vasoconstriction in response to intra-arterial Tyramine during exercise and ATP-induced vasodilation compared with age-matched healthy control subjects.

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Effect of PDE5 inhibition on the modulation of sympathetic α-adrenergic vasoconstriction in contracting skeletal muscle of young and older recreationally active humans

AJP Heart and Circulatory Physiology ◽

10.1152/ajpheart.00653.2015 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 309 (11) ◽

pp. H1867-H1875 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Michael Nyberg ◽

Peter Piil ◽

Jon Egelund ◽

Randy S. Sprague ◽

Stefan P. Mortensen ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Skeletal Muscle ◽

Blood Flow ◽

Human Subjects ◽

Pde5 Inhibitor ◽

Knee Extensor ◽

No Donor ◽

Pde5 Inhibition ◽

Exercise Hyperemia ◽

Functional Sympatholysis ◽

Venous Plasma

Aging is associated with an altered regulation of blood flow to contracting skeletal muscle; however, the precise mechanisms remain unclear. We recently demonstrated that inhibition of cGMP-binding phosphodiesterase 5 (PDE5) increased blood flow to contracting skeletal muscle of older but not young human subjects. Here we examined whether this effect of PDE5 inhibition was related to an improved ability to blunt α-adrenergic vasoconstriction (functional sympatholysis) and/or improved efficacy of local vasodilator pathways. A group of young (23 ± 1 yr) and a group of older (72 ± 1 yr) male subjects performed knee-extensor exercise in a control setting and following intake of the highly selective PDE5 inhibitor sildenafil. During both conditions, exercise was performed without and with arterial tyramine infusion to evoke endogenous norepinephrine release and consequently stimulation of α1- and α2-adrenergic receptors. The level of the sympatholytic compound ATP was measured in venous plasma by use of the microdialysis technique. Sildenafil increased ( P < 0.05) vascular conductance during exercise in the older group, but tyramine infusion reduced ( P < 0.05) this effect by 38 ± 9%. Similarly, tyramine reduced ( P < 0.05) the vasodilation induced by arterial infusion of a nitric oxide (NO) donor by 54 ± 9% in the older group, and this effect was not altered by sildenafil. Venous plasma [ATP] did not change with PDE5 inhibition in the older subjects during exercise. Collectively, PDE5 inhibition in older humans was not associated with an improved ability for functional sympatholysis. An improved efficacy of the NO system may be one mechanism underlying the effect of PDE5 inhibition on exercise hyperemia in aging.

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