Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Nitric Oxide Signaling Pathway01:28

Nitric Oxide Signaling Pathway

Nitric oxide (NO), an inorganic gas, acts as a potent second messenger in most animal and plant tissues. NO diffuses out of the cells that produce it and enters the neighboring cells to generate a downstream response. NO synthase (NOS) catalyzes NO production by the deamination of the amino acid arginine. There are three isoforms of NOS. Endothelial cells have endothelial NOS (eNOS), nerve and muscle cells have neuronal NOS (nNOS), and macrophages produce inducible NOS (iNOS) upon exposure to...
Antihypertensive Drugs: Vasodilators01:23

Antihypertensive Drugs: Vasodilators

Vasodilators, primarily affecting the smooth muscles within arterial and venous walls, are commonly used for hypertension treatment. Medications such as minoxidil and hydralazine primarily target arteries and arterioles, while sodium nitroprusside acts on arterioles and venules. Minoxidil, functioning as a prodrug, is metabolized by hepatic sulfotransferase into its active form, minoxidil sulfate, after oral administration. This metabolite binds to the sulfonylurea receptor (SUR) component of...
Hypoxia01:23

Hypoxia

Hypoxia is a medical condition characterized by an inadequate oxygen supply to body tissues. It typically manifests as a bluish discoloration of the skin and mucosae, especially in fair-skinned individuals, when hemoglobin (Hb) saturation drops below 75%.
Types of Hypoxia
There are four primary types of hypoxia, each resulting from a different cause:
1. Anemic hypoxia: This type occurs due to insufficient oxygen delivery caused by a lack of red blood cells (RBCs) or RBCs with abnormal or...
Exercise and Cardiovascular Response01:20

Exercise and Cardiovascular Response

Exercise significantly impacts cardiovascular response, which is crucial for understanding patient health and designing effective treatment plans.
Light to moderate physical activity initiates a series of interconnected responses in the body. The heart rate modestly increases in anticipation of the workout, followed by widespread vasodilation as oxygen consumption by skeletal muscles increases. This results in decreased peripheral resistance, increased capillary blood flow, and accelerated...
Oxygen Transport in the Blood01:27

Oxygen Transport in the Blood

Hemoglobin (Hb) is a crucial molecule in the human body, consisting of four polypeptide chains, each bound to an iron-containing heme group. This unique structure enables hemoglobin to bind to oxygen, with each molecule capable of combining with four molecules of oxygen, leading to rapid and reversible oxygen loading. When fully loaded with oxygen, it is called oxyhemoglobin, while hemoglobin that has released oxygen is called reduced hemoglobin or deoxyhemoglobin. As hemoglobin binds oxygen,...
Antianginal Drugs: Nitrates and β-Blockers01:16

Antianginal Drugs: Nitrates and β-Blockers

In cardiovascular health, antianginal drugs combat angina pectoris — a condition marked by chest pain owing to diminished blood flow to the heart.
Organic nitrates,  such as nitroglycerin, play a pivotal role. Once metabolized, they liberate nitric oxide, a molecular marvel. Nitric oxide triggers guanylyl cyclase and augments cGMP production. This biochemical cascade orchestrates the relaxation of vascular smooth muscles, ushering in vasodilation and enhancing coronary blood flow. Administered...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Local ischemic preconditioning improves skeletal muscle blood flow and vasodilation during exercise in older adults.

Journal of applied physiology (Bethesda, Md. : 1985)·2026
Same author

Response.

Medicine and science in sports and exercise·2026
Same author

The impact of biological sex and female sex hormone concentration on the maximal metabolic steady state.

Journal of applied physiology (Bethesda, Md. : 1985)·2025
Same author

Optimizing cerebrovascular endothelial health through shear stress modulation.

Experimental physiology·2025
Same author

Reliability and Repeatability of Determining Power Associated with Maximal Metabolic Steady State Using Changes in NIRS-Derived Muscle Oxygenation.

Medicine and science in sports and exercise·2025
Same author

The effects of menstrual cycle phase on acute critical power testing performance in healthy females.

European journal of applied physiology·2025

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 18, 2026

Supramaximal Intensity Hypoxic Exercise and Vascular Function Assessment in Mice
10:00

Supramaximal Intensity Hypoxic Exercise and Vascular Function Assessment in Mice

Published on: March 15, 2019

Nitric oxide contributes to the augmented vasodilatation during hypoxic exercise.

Darren P Casey1, Brandon D Madery, Timothy B Curry

  • 1Department of Anesthesiology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN 55905, USA. casey.darren@mayo.edu

The Journal of Physiology
|December 2, 2009
PubMed
Summary

Nitric oxide (NO) aids skeletal muscle vasodilation during hypoxic exercise. Inhibiting NO production alone or with adenosine receptor blockers similarly reduced this effect, suggesting NO acts independently of adenosine.

More Related Videos

Preparation of Rat Skeletal Muscle Homogenates for Nitrate and Nitrite Measurements
07:19

Preparation of Rat Skeletal Muscle Homogenates for Nitrate and Nitrite Measurements

Published on: July 29, 2021

Skeletal Muscle Neurovascular Coupling, Oxidative Capacity, and Microvascular Function with 'One Stop Shop' Near-infrared Spectroscopy
09:04

Skeletal Muscle Neurovascular Coupling, Oxidative Capacity, and Microvascular Function with 'One Stop Shop' Near-infrared Spectroscopy

Published on: February 20, 2018

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 18, 2026

Supramaximal Intensity Hypoxic Exercise and Vascular Function Assessment in Mice
10:00

Supramaximal Intensity Hypoxic Exercise and Vascular Function Assessment in Mice

Published on: March 15, 2019

Preparation of Rat Skeletal Muscle Homogenates for Nitrate and Nitrite Measurements
07:19

Preparation of Rat Skeletal Muscle Homogenates for Nitrate and Nitrite Measurements

Published on: July 29, 2021

Skeletal Muscle Neurovascular Coupling, Oxidative Capacity, and Microvascular Function with 'One Stop Shop' Near-infrared Spectroscopy
09:04

Skeletal Muscle Neurovascular Coupling, Oxidative Capacity, and Microvascular Function with 'One Stop Shop' Near-infrared Spectroscopy

Published on: February 20, 2018

Area of Science:

  • Physiology
  • Exercise Science
  • Cardiovascular Regulation

Background:

  • Hypoxic exercise augments skeletal muscle vasodilation.
  • Nitric oxide (NO) and adenosine are potential mediators of this response.
  • Investigating their independent and combined roles is crucial for understanding exercise physiology.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To test if NO contributes to augmented vasodilation during hypoxic exercise.
  • To determine if combined NO synthase and adenosine receptor inhibition attenuates this vasodilation more than NO inhibition alone.
  • To elucidate the independent role of NO in hypoxic exercise vasodilation.

Main Methods:

  • Subjects performed forearm exercise under normoxia and normocapnic hypoxia.
  • Intra-arterial administration of saline, NO synthase inhibitor (L-NMMA), and combined L-NMMA-aminophylline.
  • Forearm vascular conductance (FVC) was measured to assess vasodilation.

Main Results:

  • L-NMMA significantly reduced the hypoxic exercise-induced increase in FVC compared to saline.
  • Combined L-NMMA-aminophylline also significantly reduced FVC during hypoxic exercise.
  • The relative reduction in vasodilation was similar between L-NMMA alone and combined inhibition, irrespective of exercise intensity.

Conclusions:

  • NO significantly contributes to augmented skeletal muscle vasodilation during hypoxic exercise.
  • Adenosine receptor antagonism does not further attenuate this vasodilation when NO production is inhibited.
  • These findings indicate that NO mediates hypoxic exercise vasodilation independently of adenosine.