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Relationship between dog saphenous vein reactivity and Na content
1Department of Medicine, Veterans Administration Medical Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota.
The American Journal of Physiology
|October 1, 1988
Summary
Vascular smooth muscle sodium (Na) and potassium (K) content influences vein reactivity. Higher extracellular Na correlates with acetylcholine responses, while intracellular K links to norepinephrine effects in dog saphenous veins.
Area of Science:
- Physiology
- Vascular Biology
- Ion Transport
Background:
- Spontaneous variations in total sodium (Na) content exist in the dog saphenous vein (SV).
- Understanding the physiological significance of these Na variations is crucial for vascular research.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between spontaneous variations in SV Na content and vascular reactivity.
- To explore the roles of Na and potassium (K) in mediating responses to acetylcholine (ACh) and norepinephrine (NE).
Main Methods:
- In vitro perfusion of dog saphenous veins with autologous blood.
- Measurement of vascular reactivity to ACh and NE.
- Quantification of total and intracellular Na and K content, DNA content, and muscle width in SV tissues.
Main Results:
- Acetylcholine (ACh) reactivity correlated positively with total and extracellular SV Na content.
- Norepinephrine (NE) reactivity correlated positively with total and intracellular K content.
- ACh-mediated venoconstriction showed higher sensitivity to amiloride inhibition compared to NE-mediated venoconstriction.
Conclusions:
- Extracellular Na content serves as a marker for ACh-mediated vascular responses, suggesting a role for Na influx.
- Intracellular K content is linked to NE-mediated responses, potentially involving calcium release from the sarcoplasmic reticulum.