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Short-duration increases in intraluminal pressure improve vasoconstrictor responses in aged skeletal muscle feed arteries

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European Journal of Applied Physiology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purpose

We tested the hypothesis that exposure to a short-duration (1 h) increase in intraluminal pressure, to mimic pressure associated with a bout of exercise, would attenuate age-induced impairments of vascular smooth muscle (VSM) constrictor responses in soleus muscle feed arteries (SFA) via the Rho pathway.

Methods

SFA from young (4 months) and old (24 months) Fischer 344 rats were cannulated and pressurized to 90 or 130 cmH2O for 1 h. Following the 1-h treatment, pressure in P130 arteries was lowered to 90 cmH2O for examination of vasoconstrictor responses to norepinephrine (NE), angiotensin II (Ang II), and phenylephrine (PE). To assess the role of the Rho pathway, vasoconstrictor responses were assessed in the absence or presence of a RhoA-kinase inhibitor (Y27632) or RhoA-kinase activator (LPA).

Results

Vasoconstrictor responses to NE, Ang II, and PE were impaired in old P90 SFA. Pretreatment of old SFA with increased pressure improved vasoconstrictor responses to NE, PE and Ang II. The beneficial effect of the pressure pretreatment in old SFA was eliminated in the presence of Y27632. In the presence of LPA, vasoconstrictor responses to Ang II were improved in old SFA such that responses were not different than young P90 SFA.

Conclusion

These results indicate that a short-duration exposure to increased intraluminal pressure, to mimic pressure associated with a bout of exercise, attenuates or reverses the age-related decrement in VSM constrictor responses in SFA and that the beneficial response is mediated through Rho kinase.

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Abbreviations

Ang II:

Angiotensin II

PE:

Phenylephrine

NIA:

National Institute on Aging

NE:

Norepinephrine

PSS:

Physiological saline solution

ROCK:

Rho kinase

SFA:

Soleus muscle feed arteries

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by American Heart Association, South Central Affiliate Grants 0765043Y, 4150031 (C.R. Woodman), a Texas A&M University College of Education and Human Development Strategic Research Award (J.W. Seawright), and a Sydney and J.L. Huffines Institute of Sports Medicine and Human Performance Grant (J.W. Seawright). Additionally, the authors appreciate the Office for Biological Resources of NIA-NIH, for access to their Fisher 344 rat colony.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Health and Kinesiology, MS 4243, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843-4243, USA

    John W. Seawright & Christopher R. Woodman

  2. Department of Medical Physiology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA

    Andreea Trache & Emily Wilson

  3. Department of Biomedical Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA

    Andreea Trache

  4. Department of Veterinary Physiology and Pharmacology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA

    Christopher R. Woodman

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  1. John W. Seawright
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  2. Andreea Trache
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  4. Christopher R. Woodman
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Correspondence to Christopher R. Woodman.

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The authors have no conflicts of interest.

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Communicated by David C. Poole.

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Seawright, J.W., Trache, A., Wilson, E. et al. Short-duration increases in intraluminal pressure improve vasoconstrictor responses in aged skeletal muscle feed arteries. Eur J Appl Physiol 116, 931–937 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-016-3350-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-016-3350-x

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