Specific blood flow reducing effects of hyperoxaemia on high flow capillaries in the pig brain

The mechanisms behind oxygen mediated changes in tissue blood flow remain unsettled. Today these are thought to (from experiments on separate vessels and other tissues than the brain) operate through the vessels themselves, probably by involvement of the endothelium in the distal parts of the vascular tree. The aim of this study was to investigate how hyperoxaemia affects the cerebrocortical capillary blood flow distribution in order to gain further knowledge of oxygen mediated blood flow regulating mechanisms. The experiments were performed on seven ventilated anaesthetized pigs. A multiwire Clark-type microelectrode, placed on the brain surface (motor cortex), was used for capillary blood flow (hydrogen clearance) and oxygen pressure measurements, both of which were made at normoxaemia (arterial PO2 14.4 kPa) and hyperoxaemia (arterial PO2 50.4 kPa)(the animals serving as their own control). Blood pressure, arterial PCO2 and pH remained unchanged throughout the experiments. During hyperoxaemia a 11% reduction in the cerebrocortical capillary blood flow was found (P < 0.001). This flow reduction was seen mainly in two capillary blood flow classes (6/7 animals). In parallel a heterogeneous increase in the cerebrocortical oxygen pressures from 4.5 to 10.1 kPa (mean) (P < 0.001) was found. These results show that hyperoxaemia causes a selective reduction in capillary blood flow affecting capillaries at specific flow levels. A finding that suggests, for the brain, that both the oxygen sensor and effect mechanism is situated distally, in the vascular tree.