Increased diameter and enhanced myogenic response of saphenous vein induced by two-week experimental orthostasis are...

Previously, increased diameter and enhanced myogenic tone were seen after 2-week 45o head-up (HUT2) in the rat. We studied the reversibility and the effect of extended tilt on this phenomenon using two experimental groups: HUT2 plus 2-week horizontal (HUT2HOR2), and 4-week tilting (HUT4). 4-weeks in normal cages (NC4) served as control. Diameter of saphenous vein (SV) in 2-20 mm Hg pressure range, wall and media thickness, endothelial and smooth muscle cell densities, and cell proliferation were measured. The diameter of SV from HUT4 was significantly larger compared with HUT2HOR2 or NC4 within the whole pressure range both in Krebs-Ringer (870.4+/-21.3 vs. 778.2+/-24.9 and 771.6+/-28.1 microm at 10 mm Hg, respectively) and in Ca(2+)-free solution. Myogenic and norepinephrine-induced vascular tone, wall and media thickness did not differ among the three groups. Endothelial cell density decreased in HUT4 (10.7+/-1.2) vs. HUT2HOR2 (15.1+/-1.0) and NC4 (15.3+/-0.6), while that of smooth muscle was unchanged. No cell proliferation marker was seen. In conclusion, both increased diameter and enhanced myogenic tone of SV seen in HUT2 proved to be reversible. HUT4 resulted in increased SV diameter, similarly to HUT2, however, vascular tone was not amplified. This suggests that a prolonged orthostatic load may readjust the function of smooth muscle.