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Regional blood flow responses to hypoxia and exercise in altitude-adapted rats

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Abstract

Regional blood flow, determined as the fractional distribution of 137Cs, was measured at rest and during swimming exercise in control rats raised at sea level and in rats altitude-adapted by exposure to a barometric pressure of 440 mmHg for approximately 6 weeks. During both normoxic and hypoxic (11% O2) resting conditions, the altitude-adapted rats exhibited regional distributions of blood flow that differed significantly from those in the control animals. During normoxic and hypoxic swimming, significant redistributions of blood flow were noted in the control animals compared to the resting conditions. Ventricular, diaphragmatic, and working muscle blood flows were increased at the expense of the renal and splanchnic circulations, with a more marked redistribution during the hypoxic swims. Similar redistributions of blood flow were exhibited by the exercising altitude-adapted rats, except that renal and hepatic perfusion was maintained at a significantly higher level during both the normoxic and hypoxic swims. Blood lactate concentrations in control rats during hypoxic exercise were strikingly increased, suggesting that the lactate metabolizing ability of the liver and kidneys was impaired. In the altitude-adapted rats, however, blood lactate levels after exercise were significantly lower than those observed in the control animals. It is suggested that the degree of polycythemia may have determined the magnitude of the blood flow redistribution and the extent of lactate metabolism impairment.

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Author notes

  1. Alan Tucker

    Present address: Cardiovascular Pulmonary Research Laboratory, Department of Medicine, University of Colorado Medical Center, 80220, Denver, Colorado

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Environmental Stress, University of California, 93106, Santa Barbara, California

    Alan Tucker & Steven M. Horvath

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  1. Alan Tucker
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  2. Steven M. Horvath
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Additional information

Research sponsored in part by the Air Force Office of Scientific Research, Air Force Systems Command, under Grant AFOSR 73-2455.

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Tucker, A., Horvath, S.M. Regional blood flow responses to hypoxia and exercise in altitude-adapted rats. Europ. J. Appl. Physiol. 33, 139–150 (1974). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00449515

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00449515

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