Rat gracilis muscle preparation for combined macro- and microvascular research

A skeletal muscle preparation for the study of single vessel and whole organ vascular responses is presented. After surgical isolation from anesthetized rats, the gracilis muscle preparation is autoperfused via cannulation circuits. This allows the measurement of, and experimental control over, such macrovascular parameters as arterial and venous pressures and total muscle blood flow. In addition, the preparation is thin enough to allow the simultaneous study of microvessels by transilluminated microscopy. Such dual capabilities allow the preparation to be used in a wide variety of investigations and, in particular, as a primary tool in correlating microcirculatory responses with those of the whole organ in experiments designed to elucidate local control mechanisms of skeletal muscle vasculature. An example of such is demonstrated for reactive hyperemia responses simultaneously obtained at arteriolar and muscle venous effluent locations.