Previously, increased diameter and enhanced myogenic tone were seen after 2-week 45º head-up (HUT2) in the rat. We studied the reversibility and the effect of extended tilt on this phenomenon using two experimental groups: HUT2 plus 2-week horizontal (HUT2HOR2), and 4-week tilting (HUT4). 4-weeks in normal cages (NC4) served as control. Diameter of saphenous vein (SV) in 2-20 mm Hg pressure range, wall and media thickness, endothelial and smooth muscle cell densities, and cell proliferation were measured. The diameter of SV from HUT4 was significantly larger compared with HUT2HOR2 or NC4 within the whole pressure range both in Krebs-Ringer (870.4±21.3 vs. 778.2±24.9 and 771.6±28.1 μm at 10 mm Hg, respectively) and in Ca2+-free solution. Myogenic and norepinephrine-induced vascular tone, wall and media thickness did not differ among the three groups. Endothelial cell density decreased in HUT4 (10.7±1.2) vs. HUT2HOR2 (15.1±1.0) and NC4 (15.3±0.6), while that of smooth muscle was unchanged. No cell proliferation marker was seen. In conclusion, both increased diameter and enhanced myogenic tone of SV seen in HUT2 proved to be reversible. HUT4 resulted in increased SV diameter, similarly to HUT2, however, vascular tone was not amplified. This suggests that a prolonged orthostatic load may readjust the function of smooth muscle., G. Raffai, C. Lódi, G. Illyés, G. Nádasy, E. Monos., and Obsahuje bibliografii a bibliografické odkazy
Sustained orthostasis elicits the elevation of arterial blood pressure (BP) via sympathetic activation in conscious Wistar rats for at least 2 hours. We tested the hypothesis whether vestibular apparatus plays a role in BP and heart rate (HR) control in response to prolonged gravitational stress. BP and HR responses to 45º head-up for either 2 or 24 hours were monitored by telemetry. Vestibular lesions (VL) were performed by a modified microsurgical-chemical technique. Horizontal BP and HR were not influenced by VL preceding 2-hour tilt. VL abolished the sustained 2-hour BP response to head-up tilt (8.3±0.9 mm Hg relative to horizontal values) while suppressed HR transiently only. VL eliminated diurnal BP fluctuations and decreased HR in horizontal position for 24 hours. Head-up tilt for 24 hours increased BP and HR progressively in intact animals, raising their daily average value by 5.6±0.7 mm Hg and 22.2±6 BPM, respectively. VL resulted in an initial BP rise followed by progressive BP reduction in response to long-term head-up tilt (4±2.2 mm Hg) without eliminating the tachycardia (34.4±5.4 BPM). Thus, blockade of labyrinthine inputs attenuates the BP responses elicited by both intermediate and long-term gravitational stress of orthostatic type. However, other sensory inputs derived from non-vestibular cues (e.g. proprioceptive, visual, visceral, cutaneous etc.) seem to be effective enough to maintain BP normal., G. Raffai ... [et al.]., and Obsahuje bibliografii a bibliografické odkazy