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Published on: May 13, 2016
Developmental changes in mesenteric artery reactivity in embryonic and newly hatched chicks
Rob M Moonen1, Eduardo Villamor
1Department of Pediatrics, Atrium Medical Centre Parkstad, Heerlen, The Netherlands.
Insights
Chick mesenteric artery constriction increases during embryonic development, but hatching and feeding cause no major changes. Vasodilator mechanisms mature before vasoconstrictor mechanisms, impacting perinatal intestinal health.
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular Physiology
- Developmental Biology
- Gastrointestinal Physiology
Background:
- Intestinal nutrient absorption increases dramatically at birth, requiring enhanced blood flow.
- Mammalian vascular adaptations during this transition are partially understood.
- Chick mesenteric arteries (MA) offer a model to study perinatal vascular development.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate developmental changes in chick mesenteric artery (MA) reactivity.
- To characterize alterations in vasoconstriction and vasodilation during embryonic and early post-hatch periods.
- To understand the balance between vascular constrictors and dilators in perinatal intestinal adaptation.
Main Methods:
- Wire myography was used to assess MA reactivity in chicken embryos (E15, E19) and newly hatched chicks (NH3h, NH1d).
- Vascular responses to vasoconstrictors (KCl, norepinephrine, U46619, endothelin-1) and vasodilators (acetylcholine, sodium nitroprusside, forskolin) were measured.
- Developmental trajectories of contractile and relaxant efficacies were analyzed.
Main Results:
- MA contractile responses to KCl, norepinephrine, U46619, and endothelin-1 showed distinct developmental patterns.
- KCl-induced contraction increased linearly from E15 to NH1d.
- Norepinephrine and U46619 efficacy increased in ovo but plateaued post-hatch; endothelin-1 efficacy peaked at E19.
- Endothelium-dependent and independent vasodilation remained largely unchanged throughout development.
Conclusions:
- Chick MA constrictive capacity increases during embryonic development, with minimal changes post-hatching.
- Maturation of vasodilator mechanisms precedes that of vasoconstrictor mechanisms.
- Imbalances between vasoconstrictors and vasodilators may contribute to perinatal intestinal diseases.
Abstract:
At birth, the intestine becomes the sole site for nutrient absorption requiring a dramatic increase in blood flow. The vascular changes accompanying this transition have been partly characterized in mammals. We investigated, using wire myography, the developmental changes in chick mesenteric artery (MA) reactivity. Rings of the MA from 15-day (E15) and 19-day (E19) chicken embryos (total incubation 21 days) as well as non-fed 0-3-h-old (NH3h) and first-fed 1-day-old (NH1d) newly hatched chicks contracted in response to KCl, norepinephrine (NE), U46619, and endothelin (ET)-1 and relaxed in response to acetylcholine (ACh), sodium nitroprusside (SNP), and forskolin indicating the presence of electro- and pharmaco-mechanical coupling as well as cGMP- and cAMP-mediated relaxation. In ovo development and transition to ex ovo life was accompanied by alterations in the response of the MAs, but a different developmental trajectory was observed for each reactivity pathway tested. Thus, the contractile efficacy of KCl underwent a linear increase (E15 < E19 < NH3h < NH1d). The efficacy of NE and U46619 increased in ovo, but not ex ovo (E15 < E19 = NH3h = NH1d) and the efficacy of ET-1 peaked at E19 (E15 < E19 > NH3h = NH1d). The relaxations elicited by ACh (endothelium-dependent), SNP, and forskolin did not undergo significant developmental changes. In conclusion, the ability of chick MAs to constrict in response to pharmacological stimuli increases during the embryonic period, but no dramatic changes are induced by hatching or the first feeding. Maturation of vasodilator mechanisms precedes that of vasoconstrictor mechanisms. Alterations of the delicate balance between vasoconstrictors and vasodilators may play an important role in perinatal intestinal diseases.
