Effect of Cyclooxygenase Inhibition on Peripheral Venous Distension Reflex in Healthy Humans

Peripheral venous distension evokes a pressor reflex (venous distension reflex). Afferent group III and IV nerves innervating veins are suggested as the afferent arm of the venous distension reflex. Prostaglandins stimulate/sensitize group III/IV nerves. We hypothesized that inhibition of prostaglandin synthesis by local cyclooxygenase blockade would attenuate the muscle sympathetic nerve activity (MSNA) and blood pressure responses to venous distension.

Nineteen healthy volunteers (age, 27±5 years) participated in the study with 2 visits. To induce venous distension, a volume of solution (saline alone or 9 mg ketorolac tromethamine in saline) was infused into the vein in the antecubital fossa of an arterially occluded forearm. During the procedure, beat-by-beat heart rate, blood pressure and MSNA were recorded simultaneously. The vein size was measured with ultrasound.

In both visits, the venous distension procedure significantly increased blood pressure, heart rate, and MSNA (all, P<0.05). The increase in mean arterial pressure and MSNA in the ketorolac visit was significantly lower than in the control visit (∆ mean arterial pressure, 7.0±6.2 versus 13.8±7.7 mm Hg; ∆MSNA, 6.0±7.1 versus 14.8±7.7 bursts/min; both, P<0.05). The increase in vein size induced by the infusion was not different between visits.

The presented data show that cyclooxygenase blockade attenuates the responses in MSNA and blood pressure to peripheral venous distension reflex. The results suggest that cyclooxygenase products play a key role in evoking afferent activation responsible for the venous distension reflex.