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α-Adrenergic Blockade Unmasks a Greater Compensatory Vasodilation in Hypoperfused Contracting Muscle
Journal article   Open access   Peer reviewed

α-Adrenergic Blockade Unmasks a Greater Compensatory Vasodilation in Hypoperfused Contracting Muscle

Darren P Casey and Michael J Joyner
Frontiers in physiology, Vol.3, pp.271-271
2012
DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2012.00271
PMCID: PMC3429045
PMID: 22934025
url
https://doi.org/10.3389/fphys.2012.00271View
Published (Version of record) Open Access

Abstract

We previously demonstrated that acute hypoperfusion in exercising human muscle causes an immediate increase in vascular resistance that is followed by a partial restoration (less than 100% recovery) of flow. In the current study we examined the contribution of α-adrenergic vasoconstriction in the initial changes in vascular resistance at the onset of hypoperfusion as well as in the recovery of flow over time. Nine healthy male subjects (29 ± 2) performed rhythmic forearm exercise (20% of maximum) during hypoperfusion evoked by intra-arterial balloon inflation. Each trial included; baseline, exercise prior to inflation, exercise with inflation, and exercise after deflation (3 min each). Forearm blood flow (FBF; ultrasound), local (brachial artery), and systemic arterial pressure (MAP; Finometer) were measured. The trial was repeated during phentolamine infusion (α-adrenergic receptor blockade). Forearm vascular conductance (FVC; ml min −1 100 mmHg −1 ) and resistance (mmHg ml min −1 ) was calculated from BF (ml min −1 ) and local MAP (mmHg). Recovery of FBF and FVC (steady state inflation plus exercise value − nadir)/[steady state exercise (control) value − nadir] with phentolamine was enhanced compared with the respective control (no drug) trial (FBF = 97 ± 5% vs. 81 ± 6%, P  < 0.05; FVC = 126 ± 9% vs. 91 ± 5%, P  < 0.01). However, the absolute (0.05 ± 0.01 vs. 0.06 ± 0.01 mmHg ml min −1 ; P  = 0.17) and relative (35 ± 5% vs. 31 ± 2%; P  = 0.41) increase in vascular resistance at the onset of balloon inflation was not different between the α-adrenergic receptor inhibition and control (no drug) trials. Therefore, our data indicate that α-adrenergic mediated vasoconstriction restricts compensatory vasodilation during forearm exercise with hypoperfusion, but is not responsible for the initial increase in vascular resistance at the onset of hypoperfusion.
vascular resistance exercise Physiology alpha-adrenergic receptors hypoperfusion blood flow

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