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Sex differences in microvascular function across lower leg muscles in humans
Lars Molbo1, Rasmus Kopp Hansen1, Lasse Riis Østergaard2
1Sport Sciences - Performance and Technology, Department of Health Science and Technology, Aalborg University, Aalborg, Denmark.
Microvascular Research
|November 14, 2021
Summary
Women exhibit enhanced microvascular reactivity in lower leg muscles compared to men. This study used blood-oxygen-level-dependent (BOLD) MRI during ischemia-reperfusion to assess reactive hyperemia, revealing faster responses in women across multiple muscle groups.
Area of Science:
- Physiology
- Medical Imaging
- Vascular Biology
Background:
- Sex-based differences in conduit artery function are documented.
- Limited knowledge exists regarding sex-based variations in skeletal muscle microvascular function.
- Muscle group specificity in microvascular response is not well understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate sex-based differences in lower leg skeletal muscle microvascular reactivity.
- To determine if microvascular reactivity varies across different lower leg muscles (tibialis anterior, soleus, gastrocnemius medial, peroneal group).
- To test the hypothesis that women exhibit greater microvascular reactivity, indicated by faster time-to-peak (TTP) and time-to-half-peak (TTHP) of the blood-oxygen-level-dependent (BOLD) response.
Main Methods:
- Utilized 3 Tesla (3T) MRI to acquire BOLD images during a controlled ischemia-reperfusion protocol (30s rest, 5min occlusion, 2min reperfusion).
- Assessed healthy young men (n=18) and women (n=12), matched for age, BMI, and physical activity.
- Employed image registration for segmentation of specific lower leg muscles and determined TTP and TTHP of the BOLD signal.
Main Results:
- Women demonstrated significantly faster overall TTP (p=0.001) and TTHP (p=0.01) compared to men.
- Faster TTP and TTHP were observed in women across all investigated lower leg muscles: tibialis anterior (TA), peroneal group (PG), soleus (SO), and gastrocnemius medial (GM).
- Significant differences in TTP and TTHP were also found between muscle groups, with TA generally showing faster responses than PG, SO, and GM.
Conclusions:
- Novel evidence suggests sex-based differences in microvascular function in young adults, with women exhibiting enhanced reactivity.
- These differences are consistent across multiple lower leg skeletal muscles.
- The findings highlight the importance of considering sex as a biological variable in studies of microvascular physiology and response to ischemia-reperfusion.
Keywords:
Blood oxygen level dependent (BOLD)Microvascular reactivityOcclusion-reperfusionSkeletal muscleMore Related Videos
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