Abstract
Purpose
The aim of this study was to examine whether independent effects exist between contractile work and metabolic demand (VO2m) on vasoconstrictor responsiveness (i.e., functional sympatholysis) under different contraction durations matched for total contractile work in exercising human skeletal muscle.
Methods
Ten young men performed rhythmic forearm contractions at 10 and 15% of maximum voluntary contraction (MVC) which consisted of muscle contractions using the same duty cycle but altering the duration of the contraction–relaxation cycles of exercise and included: 1) fast frequency contractions at 10% MVC (FFC10%) using a contraction relaxation cycle at 1:2 s; 2) slow frequency contractions at 10% MVC (SFC10%) at 2:4 s; and 3) SFC at 15% MVC (SFC15%) at 2:4 s. Lower body negative pressure (LBNP) was applied to increase sympathetic vasoconstriction during forearm exercise. Brachial artery diameter and blood velocities (measured via Doppler ultrasound) determined forearm blood flow (FBF), and forearm vascular conductance (FVC) was calculated from FBF (ml min−1) and mean arterial blood pressure.
Results
Results revealed that steady-state indices of FBF, FVC, and VO2m were greater (P < 0.05) in FFC10% and SFC15% vs. SFC10%. In addition, the magnitude of vasoconstriction (percent reduction in FVC) in response to reflex increases in sympathetic activity during LBNP was greater with SFC10% vs. FFC10% (−20.6 ± 3.0 vs. −11.1 ± 2.0%; P < 0.05), whereas there was no difference with FFC10% vs. SFC15% (−11.1 ± 2.0 vs. −11.8 ± 1.8%; P = 0.91).
Conclusions
Our data indicate that faster work-matched muscle contractions increase blood flow and metabolism, leading to improved functional sympatholysis as compared to slower work-matched muscle contractions in humans.
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Abbreviations
- ATP:
-
Adenosine triphosphate
- CtvO2 :
-
Venous oxygen content
- ECG:
-
Electromyography
- FBF:
-
Forearm blood flow
- FFC10% :
-
Fast frequency contractions at 10% MVC
- FVC:
-
Forearm vascular conductance
- LBNP:
-
Lower body negative pressure
- MAP:
-
Mean arterial pressure
- MVC:
-
Maximal voluntary contraction
- NO:
-
Nitric oxide
- O2 :
-
Oxygen
- PvO2:
-
Partial pressure of venous oxygen
- SFC10% :
-
Slow frequency contractions at 10% MVC
- SFC15% :
-
Slow frequency contractions at 15% MVC
- SNS:
-
Sympathetic nervous system
- SS:
-
Steady state
- SvO2 :
-
Oxygen saturation
- VO2m :
-
Muscle oxygen consumption
- %ΔFVC:
-
Percent change in forearm vascular conductance
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Acknowledgements
The authors are grateful for the subjects who volunteered to participate in this study. Extended appreciation goes out to Charles Ganger IV, Samuel Norton, and Aaron Schneider for their valuable technical assistance during experimental data collection.
Author contributions
Performed experiments (NTK, WEH, KU, and DPC), analyzed data (NTK), interpreted results of experiments (NTK, WEH, and DPC), prepared figures (NTK), drafted manuscript (NTK), edited/revised manuscript (NTK, WEH, KU, and DPC), approved final version (NTK, WEH, KU, and DPC), and conception and design of research (NTK and DPC).
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This research was supported by National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Research Grant HL-105467 (to D.P. Casey) and T32HL-007121 (to N.T. Kruse).
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No conflicts of interest, financial or otherwise, are declared by the authors.
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Communicated by Massimo Pagani.
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Kruse, N.T., Hughes, W.E., Ueda, K. et al. Vasoconstrictor responsiveness in contracting human muscle: influence of contraction frequency, contractile work, and metabolic rate. Eur J Appl Physiol 117, 1697–1706 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-017-3660-7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-017-3660-7