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[Effects of simulated weightlessness on vasoreactivity of hindlimb arterial bed in rats]
1Department of Aerospace Physiology, The Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, China.
Objective:
To investigate the alterations in vasoreactivity of hindlimb arterial bed after simulated weightlessness.
Method:
The tail-suspended rat model was used to simulate weightlessness, and the alterations in vasoreactivity of arterial bed were examined in vitro using isolated, constant flow perfused hindlimb of 2-wk suspended rats and control rats.
Result:
Perfusion flow-pressure relationship of hindlimb arterial bed showed no significant differences between suspended rats and control rats; but vascular responses to KCl (20-100 mM) and PE(10(-8)-10(-4) M) were decreased in hindlimb arterial bed of suspended rats as compared with that of control rats.
Conclusion:
Contractile ability of resistance vessels was diminished in simulated weightlessness rats, and a compromised ability of resistance vessels to increase peripheral resistance may play an important role in occurrence of orthostatic intolerance.