Abstract
Changes in vasomotion parameters and their consequences for local arteriolar resistance were studied in transverse arterioles and their first order side branches in the tenuissimus muscle of 10 young urethane anesthetized rabbits during stepwise reduction of arterial pressure, using intravital microscopy. To assess the influence of vasomotion on mean local arteriolar resistance, the effective vascular diameter, as a measure of mean flow carrying capacity, was calculated. The contribution of vasomotion to the mean local resistance is limited in transverse arterioles, but important in first order side branches, dominating the flow fluctuations in the downstream capillaries.
During pressure reduction, an over-all increase in vasomotion cycle length and amplitude was found in both transverse arterioles and first order side branches, concomitant with an increase in effective arteriolar diameter and a decrease in local blood flow and reduced velocity, as a measure of wall shear rate. Flow autoregulation was observed in 70% of the arterioles. The changes in cycle length and amplitude showed only limited correlations with local blood flow, reduced velocity, arterial pressure and effective arteriolar diameter. This indicates that it is unlikely that only one of these variables is responsible for the changes in the vasomotion parameters.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Bouskela E, Wiederhielm CA (1979) Microvascular myogenic reaction in the wing of the intact unanesthetized bat. Am J Physiol 237:H59-H65
Burrows ME, Johnson PC (1981) Diameter, wall tension, and flow in mesenteric arterioles during autoregulation. Am J Physiol 241:H829-H837
Burton AC (1972) Physiology and biophysics of the circulation, 2nd edn. Year Book Medical Publishers, Inc, Chicago, pp 86–94
Elmore MD, Johnson PC (1982) Compatible multiplex closedcircuit television and analog data recording. Microvasc Res 23:385–391
Folkow B (1964) Description of the myogenic hypothesis. Circ Res 15 (Suppl 1):279–287
Funk W, Endrich B, Messmer K, Intaglietta M (1983) Spontaneous arteriolar vasomotion as a determinant of peripheral vascular resistance. Int J Microcirc: Clin Exp 2:11–25
Greensmith JE, Duling BR (1984) Morphology of the constricted arteriolar wall: physiological implications. Am J Physiol 247:H687-H698
Intaglietta M, Tompkins WR (1973) Microvascular measurements by video image shearing and splitting. Microvasc Res 5:309–312
Johnson PC (1980) The myogenic response. In: Bohr DF, Somlyo AP, Sparks HV (eds) Handbook of physiology. The cardiovascular system II. American Physiological Society, Bethesda, pp 409–442
Johnson PC (1986) Autoregulation of blood flow. Circ Res 59:483–495
Lindbom L, Arfors K-E (1984) Non-homogeneous blood flow distribution in the rabbit tenuissimus muscle; differential control of total blood flow and capillary perfusion. Acta Physiol Scand 122:225–233
Lindbom L (1986) Distribution patterns of blood flow in the rabbit tenuissimus muscle in response to brief ischemia and muscular contraction. Microvasc Res 31:143–156
Meyer J-U, Lindbom L, Intaglietta M (1987) Coordinated diameter oscillations at arteriolar bifurcations in skeletal muscle. Am J Physiol 253:H568-H573
Meyer J-U, Borgstrom P, Lindbom L, Intaglietta M (1988) Vasomotion patterns in skeletal muscle arterioles during changes in arterial pressure. Microvasc Res 35:193–203
Morff RJ, Granger HJ (1983) Contribution of adenosine to arteriolar autoregulation in striated muscle. Am J Physiol 244:H567-H576
Oude Vrielink HHE, Slaaf DW, Tangelder GJ, Reneman RS (1987) Does capillary recruitment exist in young rabbit skeletal muscle. Int J Microcirc: Clin Exp 6:321–332
Oude Vrielink HHE, Slaaf DW, Tangelder GJ, Reneman RS (1987) Vasomotion during reduction of arterial pressure in rabbit skeletal muscle. Pflügers Arch 410:S31
Pittman RN, Ellsworth ML (1986) Estimation of red cell flow in microvessels: consequences of the Baker-Wayland spatial averaging model. Microvasc Res 32:371–388
Prinzen FW, Alewijnse R, Van der Vusse GJ, Kruger RTI, Van de Nagel T, Reneman RS (1987) Coronary artery stenosis controlled by distal perfusion pressure: description of the servosystem and time-dependent changes in regional myocardial blood flow. Basic Res Cardiol 82:375–387
Reneman RS, Slaaf DW, Lindbom L, Tangelder GJ, Arfors K-E (1980) Muscle blood flow disturbances produced by simultaneously elevated venous and total muscle tissue pressure. Microvasc Res 20:307–318
Slaaf DW, Alewijnse R, Wayland H (1982) Use of telescopic imaging in intravital microscopy: a simple solution for conventional microscopes. Int J Microcirc 1:121–134
Slaaf DW, Tangelder GJ, Teirlinck HC, Reneman RS (1987a) Arteriolar vasomotion and arterial pressure reduction in rabbit tenuissimus muscle. Microvasc Res 33:71–80
Slaaf DW, Reneman RS, Wiederhielm CA (1987b) Pressure regulation in muscle of unanesthetized bats. Microvasc Res 33:315–326
Slaaf DW, Oude Vrielink HHE, Tangelder GJ, Reneman RS (1988) Effective vascular diameter as a determinant of local vascular resistance in the presence of vasomotion. Am J Physiol 24:H1240-H1243
Tangelder GJ, Slaaf DW, Reneman RS (1984) Skeletal muscle microcirculation and changes in transmural and perfusion pressure. Prog Appl Microcirc 5:93–108
Tesfamariam B, Halpern W (1987) Modulation of adrenergic responses in pressurized resistance arteries by flow. Am J Physiol 253:H1112-H1119
Wayland H, Johnson PC (1967) Erythrocyte velocity measurement in microvessels by a two-slit photometric method. J Appl Physiol 22:333–337
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
Supported by Medigon/Zwo (Grant 900-517-157).
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Oude Vrielink, H.H.E., Slaaf, D.W., Tangelder, G.J. et al. Changes in vasomotion pattern and local arteriolar resistance during stepwise pressure reduction. Pflugers Arch. 414, 571–578 (1989). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00580993
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00580993