Decreased vascular contraction and elastic stiffening after intramural lymphostasis

Lymphatic obstruction leads to leakage of protein into the vessel wall that is coupled with edema formation and smooth muscle degeneration. To clarify the mechanical effect of these changes, lymphatic trunks, draining the femoral artery, were stained with Evans blue and then ligated in dogs anesthetized with pentobarbital sodium (n = 11). Sham ligation was performed on these lymphatic trunks in the opposite hindlimb (n = 11). Three days later, 7- to 30-mm segments of both femoral arteries were studied in vitro. Intraluminal pressure was cycled between 5 and 250 mmHg at 5 mmHg/s, and external diameter was recorded in both relaxed and activated (norepinephrine, 3 x 10(-5) mol/l) state of smooth muscle. Mechanical parameters were computed for 10-mmHg pressure increments. After lymphatic obstruction, strain energy density and distensibility of the passive wall components as well as isobaric active tangential strain were decreased by a maximum of 27, 59, and 54%, respectively; active tangential stress and elastic modulus, as a function of tangential stretch, was decreased by a maximum of 62%, and increased by 61%, respectively. These results indicate that short-term intramural lymphostasis reduces smooth muscle reactivity and induces vascular stiffening.