Effects of exercise-induced sympathoadrenergic activation on portal blood flow

We examined the relationship between portal venous blood flow and sympathoadrenergic activation after muscle exercise. For this purpose, we used echo Doppler and measured plasma noradrenaline concentration before and after mild (7 metabolic units, N = 8) and maximal exercise (14 metabolic units, N = 8) in 16 patients without significant disease. Portal venous flow did not change after mild exercise. In contrast, a significant reduction in portal venous flow was observed after maximal exercise (P < 0.01). This was due to reductions in both cross-sectional area of the portal vein (P < 0.01) and portal venous velocity (P < 0.01). Overall, there were significant inverse relationships between the change in plasma noradrenaline concentration and that in cross-sectional area of the portal vein [r = -0.44, P < 0.01 (absolute change); r = -0.47, P < 0.01 (relative change)], that in portal venous velocity (r = -0.63, P < 0.01; r = -0.61, P < 0.01), and that in portal venous flow (r = -0.54, P < 0.01; r = -0.59, P < 0.01). These results suggest that the reduction in portal venous flow after exercise is related to the degree of sympathoadrenergic activation. This reduction may be due mainly to splanchnic vasoconstriction.