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Vasoconstrictor responsiveness during hyperbaric hyperoxia in contracting human muscle
Journal article   Open access   Peer reviewed

Vasoconstrictor responsiveness during hyperbaric hyperoxia in contracting human muscle

Darren P Casey, Michael J Joyner, Paul L Claus and Timothy B Curry
Journal of applied physiology (1985), Vol.114(2), pp.217-224
01/15/2013
DOI: 10.1152/japplphysiol.01197.2012
PMCID: PMC3774558
PMID: 23154993
url
https://doi.org/10.1152/japplphysiol.01197.2012View
Published (Version of record) Open Access

Abstract

Large increases in systemic oxygen content cause substantial reductions in exercising forearm blood flow (FBF) due to increased vascular resistance. We hypothesized that 1 ) functional sympatholysis (blunting of sympathetic α-adrenergic vasoconstriction) would be attenuated during hyperoxic exercise and 2 ) α-adrenergic blockade would limit vasoconstriction during hyperoxia and increase FBF to levels observed under normoxic conditions. Nine male subjects (age 28 ± 1 yr) performed forearm exercise (20% of maximum) under normoxic and hyperoxic conditions. Studies were performed in a hyperbaric chamber at 1 atmosphere absolute (ATA; sea level) while breathing 21% O 2 and at 2.82 ATA while breathing 100% O 2 (estimated change in arterial O 2 content ∼6 ml O 2 /100 ml). FBF (ml/min) was measured using Doppler ultrasound. Forearm vascular conductance (FVC) was calculated from FBF and blood pressure (arterial catheter). Vasoconstrictor responsiveness was determined using intra-arterial tyramine. FBF and FVC were substantially lower during hyperoxic exercise than normoxic exercise (∼20–25%; P < 0.01). At rest, vasoconstriction to tyramine (% decrease from pretyramine values) did not differ between normoxia and hyperoxia ( P > 0.05). During exercise, vasoconstrictor responsiveness was slightly greater during hyperoxia than normoxia (−22 ± 3 vs. −17 ± 2%; P < 0.05). However, during α-adrenergic blockade, hyperoxic exercise FBF and FVC remained lower than during normoxia ( P < 0.01). Therefore, our data suggest that although the vasoconstrictor responsiveness during hyperoxic exercise was slightly greater, it likely does not explain the majority of the large reductions in FBF and FVC (∼20–25%) during hyperbaric hyperoxic exercise.
skeletal muscle blood flow vasoconstriction α-adrenergic

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