Influence of intestinal inhibitory reflex on mesenteric blood flow through an intestinal segment of the dog

The variations in both tonus and rhythmical motility of the intestinal musculature are known to affect profoundly intestinal blood flow. In the present study, the influence of marked reflex inhibition of intestinal tone on the blood flow through an intestinal segment was investigated in the dog. Experiments were performed under conditions of both normal circulation and cross-circulation. Inhibitory reflex was elicited by elevating the intraluminal pressure of a loop or by electrical stimulation of the intestinal wall. Fluctuations of blood flow during the intestinal inhibitory reflex were observed with normal circulation. Arterial and venous blood flows decreased in the initial period of intestinal relaxation, and recovered within 30 sec although reflex inhibition still remained. This is an autoregulatory escape phenomenon. In successive periods, arterial and venous blood flows decreased again due to "the venous-arteriolar response" and then recovered to the quiescent level. The decrease in venous blood flow corresponded to an increase of the degree of oxygen saturation in the venous blood. The decreases in arterial and venous blood flows were observed during the inhibitory reflex even when the intestinal circulation was maintained by the cross-circulation. Two different patterns, i.e., the parallel and reversed patterns, were distinguished in correlation with venous blood flow and oxygen saturation. The autoregulatory escape phenomenon could not be elicited in the experiments in the cross-circulation system because variation of the systemic blood pressure during inhibitory reflex was limited to +/-4%.