Reflex vascular responses in kidney, ileum, and forelimb to carotid body stimulation

Reflex vascular responses to local carotid chemoreceptor stimulation with hypoxic-hypercapnic, hypoxic, or hypercapnic blood were investigated in pentobarbitalized dogs. Bilaterally isolated carotid chemoreceptors were perfused via an extracorporeal lung circuit. Oxygen and carbon dioxide tensions of blood perfusing the carotid bodies were altered by ventilating the isolated lung with various O2-CO2 mixtures. Ventilation of the whole animal maintained normal systemic O2 and CO2 tensions. Perfusion pressures of the isolated kidney, ileum, forelimb, gracilis and hindpaw were measured during constant-flow perfusion. Carotid chemoreceptor stimulation with hypoxic-hypercapnic blood before vagotomy increased renal vascular resistance but caused no change in intestinal or forelimb resistance. Following vagotomy, hypoxic-hypercapnic, hypoxic, or hypercapnic carotid body stimulation increased renal, intestinal, and forelimb vascular resistance. Forelimb skin and muscle vascular beds contributed about equally to the increase in forelimb resistance. Gracilis muscle and hindpaw resistance also increased during hypoxic-hypercapnic stimulation after vagotomy.