Perfusion with non-oxygenated Tyrode solution causes maximal coronary vasodilation in canine hearts

1. Coronary vasodilator effects of non-ischaemic hypoxia (perfusion with non-oxygenated Tyrode solution) and ischaemic hypoxia (coronary occlusion) were compared. 2. The left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD) of six in situ canine hearts was perfused selectively at controlled pressure with normal arterial blood or with non-oxygenated Tyrode solution. LAD flow was measured continuously with an electromagnetic flowmeter. Reactive hyperaemic blood flow responses following 3 min Tyrode perfusion were compared with responses following 3 min complete coronary occlusion. 3. Control LAD blood flow was 26.9 +/- 4.6 ml/min. A 3 min period of Tyrode perfusion caused a peak reactive hyperaemic blood flow of 151 +/- 31 ml/min, which was not significantly different from that caused by 3 min occlusion, 123 +/- 17 ml/min. The duration and total volume of reactive hyperaemia flow following Tyrode perfusion were smaller than values following occlusion. 4. The present findings demonstrate that myocardial hypoxia per se is a sufficient vasodilatory stimulus to account for the peak reactive hyperaemic flow following 3 min occlusion, but that the prolonged reactive hyperaemic response depends on vasodilator metabolites which accumulate in ischaemic myocardium.