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Localised cutaneous microvascular adaptation to exercise training in humans

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Abstract

Purpose

Exercise training induces adaptation in conduit and resistance arteries in humans, partly as a consequence of repeated elevation in blood flow and shear stress. The stimuli associated with intrinsic cutaneous microvascular adaptation to exercise training have been less comprehensively studied.

Methods

We studied 14 subjects who completed 8-weeks cycle ergometer training, with partial cuff inflation on one forearm to unilaterally attenuate cutaneous blood flow responses during each exercise-training bout. Before and after training, bilateral forearm skin microvascular dilation was determined using cutaneous vascular conductance (CVC: skin flux/blood pressure) responses to gradual localised heater disk stimulation performed at rest (33, 40, 42 and 44 °C).

Results

Cycle exercise induced significant increases in forearm cutaneous flux and temperature, which were attenuated in the cuffed arm (2-way ANOVA interaction-effect; P < 0.01). We found that forearm CVC at 42 and 44 °C was significantly lower in the uncuffed arm following 8-weeks of cycle training (P < 0.01), whereas no changes were apparent in the contralateral cuffed arm (P = 0.77, interaction-effect P = 0.01).

Conclusions

Lower limb exercise training in healthy young men leads to lower CVC-responses to a local heating stimulus, an adaptation mediated, at least partly, by a mechanism related to episodic increases in skin blood flow and/or skin temperature.

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Abbreviations

BMI:

Body mass index

CVC:

Cutaneous vascular conductance

HRMax:

Heart rate max

PU:

Perfusion units

SNP:

Sodium nitroprusside

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Acknowledgements

D.J.G was funded by the Australian Research Council (DP 130103793). D.H.J.T was a recipient of the E. Dekker stipend (Netherlands Heart Foundation, 2009 T064).

Funding

Australian Research Council (DP 130103793), E. Dekker stipend (Netherlands Heart Foundation, 2009 T064).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Human Sciences (Exercise and Sport Science), The University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA, 6009, Australia

    Ceri L. Atkinson & Daniel J. Green

  2. Research Institute for Sport and Exercise Science, Liverpool John Moores University, Tom Reilly Building, Byrom Street, Liverpool, L3 3AF, UK

    Howard H. Carter, Dick H. J. Thijssen, Gurpreet K. Birk, N. Timothy Cable, David A. Low, Ellen A. Dawson & Daniel J. Green

  3. Department of Physiology, Radboud Institute for Health Sciences, Radboud University Medical Centre, Nijmegen, The Netherlands

    Dick H. J. Thijssen, Floortje Kerstens & Iris Meeuwis

  4. Department of Sport Science, Aspire Academy, Doha, Qatar

    N. Timothy Cable

Authors
  1. Ceri L. Atkinson
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  2. Howard H. Carter
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  3. Dick H. J. Thijssen
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  4. Gurpreet K. Birk
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  5. N. Timothy Cable
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  6. David A. Low
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  7. Floortje Kerstens
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  8. Iris Meeuwis
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  9. Ellen A. Dawson
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  10. Daniel J. Green
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Daniel J. Green.

Additional information

Communicated by Narihiko Kondo.

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Atkinson, C.L., Carter, H.H., Thijssen, D.H.J. et al. Localised cutaneous microvascular adaptation to exercise training in humans. Eur J Appl Physiol 118, 837–845 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-018-3813-3

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