Muscle blood flow during exercise in sedentary and trained hypothyroid rats

Hypothyroidism is characterized by exercise intolerance. We hypothesized that active muscle blood flow during in vivo exercise is inadequate in the hypothyroid state. Additionally, we hypothesized that endurance exercise training would restore normal blood flow during acute exercise. To test these hypotheses, rats were made hypothyroid (Hypo) over 3-4 mo with propylthiouracil. A subset of Hypo rats was trained (THypo) on a treadmill at 30 m/min (15% grade) for 60 min/day 5 days/wk over 10-15 wk. Hypothyroidism was evidenced by approximately 80% reductions in plasma triiodothyronine levels in Hypo and THypo and by 40-50% reductions in citrate synthase activities in high oxidative muscles in Hypo compared with euthyroid (Eut) rats. Training efficacy was indicated by increased (25-100%) citrate synthase activities in muscles of THypo vs. Hypo. Regional blood flows were determined by the radiolabeled microsphere method before exercise and at 1-2 min of treadmill running at 15 m/min (0% grade). Preexercise muscle blood flows were generally similar among groups. During exercise, however, flows were lower in Hypo than in Eut for high oxidative muscles such as the red section of vastus lateralis [277 +/- 24 and 153 +/- 13 (SE) ml.min-1.100 g-1 for Eut and Hypo, respectively; P < 0.01] and vastus intermedius (317 +/- 32 and 187 +/- 20 ml.min-1.100 g-1 for Eut and Hypo, respectively; P < 0.01) muscles. Training (THypo) did not normalize these flows (168 +/- 24 and 181 +/- 24 ml.min-1.100 g-1 for red section of vastus lateralis and vastus intermedius muscles, respectively). Blood flows to low oxidative muscle, such as the white section of vastus lateralis muscle, were similar among groups (21 +/- 5, 25 +/- 4, and 34 +/- 7 ml.min-1.100 g-1 for Eut, Hypo, and THypo, respectively; P = NS). These findings indicate that hypothyroidism is associated with reduced blood flow to skeletal muscle during exercise, suggesting that impaired delivery of nutrients to and/or removal of metabolites from skeletal muscle contributes to the poor exercise tolerance characteristic of hypothyroidism.