Abstract
Background and aims: It was demonstrated that endothelium-dependent vasoreactivity, an aspect of endothelial functioning, is impaired in coronary and brachial arteries, and in skeletal muscle resistance vessels of elderly people. However, little data is available about the influence of aging per se on the endothelial function of the skin microcirculation. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the endothelial function and intrinsic vasodilatory capacity of the skin microcirculation in elderly people with a low atherosclerosis risk profile. Methods: Using laser Doppler flowmetry, we measured the cutaneous hyperemic responses following local iontophoresis delivery of an endothelium-dependent vasodilator, acetylcholine (ACh), and an endothelium-independent vasodilator, sodium nitroprusside (SNP), in 15 subjects older than 65 years and in 15 subjects younger than 50 years. Exclusion criteria were diabetes, hyperlipidemia, smoking, arterial hypertension and cardiovascular diseases. Results: Skin maximal hyperemic responses induced both by ACh and by SNP delivery did not differ between the younger and the older groups. Cutaneous blood flow progressively increased in response to the 8 ACh delivery steps, both in the older and younger groups; however, the dose-response curve following ACh delivery was significantly lower in the former (p<0.001). Conclusions: While these results should be viewed as preliminary due to the small sample size, they suggest that aging in itself is associated with a mild endothelium dysfunction in the skin microcirculation, whereas its overall vasodilatory capacity is preserved.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Panza JA, Quyyumi AA, Brush JE Jr, Epstein SE. Abnormal endothelium dependent vascular relaxation in patients with essential hypertension. N Engl J Med 1990; 323: 22–7.
Steinberg HO, Bayazeed B, Hook G, Johnson A, Cronin J, Baron AD. Endothelial dysfunction is associated with cholesterol levels in the high normal range in humans. Circulation 1997; 96: 3287–93.
Creager MA, Cooke JP, Mendelsohn ME, et al. Impaired vasodilatation of forearm resistance vessels in hypercholesterolemic humans. J Clin Invest 1990; 86: 228–34.
Treasure CB, Klein JL, Vita JA, et al. Hypertension and left ventricular hypertrophy are associated with impaired endothelium-mediated relaxation in human coronary resistance vessels. Circulation 1993; 87: 86–93.
Taddei S, Virdis A, Mattei P, Salvetti A. Vasodilation to acetylcholine in primary and secondary forms of human hypertension. Hypertension 1993; 21: 929–33.
Rossi M, Taddei S, Fabbri A, et al. Cutaneous vasodilation to acetylcholine in patients with essential hypertension. J Cardiovasc Pharmacol 1997; 29: 406–11.
Egashira K, Inou T, Hirooka Y, et al. Effects of age on endothelium-dependent vasodilatation of resistance coronary artery by acetylcholine in humans. Circulation 1993; 88: 77–81.
Gerhard M, Roddy MA, Creager SJ, Creager MA. Aging progressively impairs endothelium-dependent vasodilatation in forearm resistance vessels of humans. Hypertension 1996; 27: 849–53.
Andrawis N, Jones D, Abernethy DR. Aging is associated with endothelial dysfunction in the human forearm vasculature. J Am Geriatr Soc 2000; 48: 193–8.
Noon JP, Walker BR, Hand MF, Webb DJ. Studies with iontophoretic administration of drugs to human dermal vessels in vivo: cholinergic vasodilation is mediated by dilator prostanoids rather than nitric oxide. Br J Clin Pharmacol 1998; 45: 545–50.
Khan F, Davidson NC, Littleford RC, Litchfield SJ, Struthers AD, Belch JJF: Cutaneous vascular responses to acetylcholine are mediated by a prostanoid-dependent mechanism in man. Vascular Medicine 1997; 2: 82–6.
Cupisti A, Rossi M, Fabbri A, et al. Responses of skin micro-circulation to acetylcholine in patients with essential hypertension and in patients with chronic renal failure. Nephron 2000; 85: 114–9.
Cupisti A, Rossi M, Placidi S, et al. Responses of the skin microcirculation to acetylcholine and to sodium nitroprusside in chronic uremic patients. Int J Lab Res 2000; 30: 157–62.
Schabauer AMA, Rooke TW. Cutaneous laser Doppler flowmetry: applications and findings. Mayo Clin Proc 1994; 69: 564–74.
Nilsson GE, Tenland T, Oeberg PA. Evaluation of laser Doppler flowmeter for measurements of tissue blood flow. IEEE Trans Biomed Eng 1980; 27: 597–604.
Morris SJ, Shore AC, Tooke JE. Responses of the skin micro-circulation to acetylcholine and sodium nitroprusside in patients with NIDDM. Diabetologia 1995; 38: 1337–44.
La Civita U, Rossi M, Vagheggini G, et al. Microcirculatory effects of acetylcholine and sodium nitroprusside in patients with systemic sclerosis: a preliminary investigation. Arch Rheum Dis 1998; 6: 231–9.
Yataco AR, Corretti MC, Gardner AW, Womack CJ, Katzel L. Endothelial reactivity and cardiac risk factors in older patients with peripheral arterial disease. Am J Cardiol 1999; 83: 754–8.
Haidet GC, Wennberg PW, Rector TS. Aging and vasoreactivity: in vivo responses in the beagle hindlimb. Am J Physiol 1995; 268 (1 Pt 2): H92–9.
Luscher TF, Vanhoutte PM. The endothelium modulator of cardiovascular function. Boca Raton: CRC Press, 1990: 1–215.
Tenland T, Salerud KG, Nilsson KG, Oberg PA. Spatial and temporal variations in human skin blood flow. Int J Microcirc 1983; 2: 81–5.
Sundberg S. Acute effects and long-term variation in skin blood flow measured with laser Doppler flowmetry. Scand J Clin Lab Invest 1984; 44: 341–5.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Rossi, M., Cupisti, A., Mariani, S. et al. Endothelium-dependent and endothelium-independent skin vasoreactivity in the elderly. Aging Clin Exp Res 14, 343–346 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03324460
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03324460