Regional O2 supply/consumption in normal and ischaemic rabbit myocardium: effect of nifedipine

Hypertension-induced cardiac hypertrophy. Oxygen supply and consumption with pacing

The purpose of this study was to determine if hypertrophied myocardium was associated with diminished cardiac function, restricted oxygen supply, or oxygen consumption during tachycardia. Myocardial oxygen supply and oxygen consumption were determined during baseline and atrial pacing conditions 30 days after New Zealand White rabbits were prepared as one-kidney, one clip Goldblatt hypertensive or uninephrectomized sham control rabbits. Coronary blood flow and cardiac output, using radioactive microspheres, and small vessel oxygen saturations, using microspectrophotometry, were measured in hypertrophied and nonhypertrophied hearts. After 30 days, baseline blood pressure was significantly higher in the Goldblatt rabbits compared with sham controls, and hypertension was maintained during pacing. The myocardium was hypertrophied in the Goldblatt hypertensive rabbits compared with sham controls. Baseline heart rates were not different between animal groups (242 +/- 32 and 244 +/- 24 beats/min, respectively). Both groups were paced 35% above baseline heart rates; during pacing, cardiac output was similar to baseline values in the sham controls (304 +/- 99 versus 321 +/- 116 ml/min, respectively) but reduced in the hypertensive rabbits (248 +/- 43 versus 325 +/- 62 ml/min). Myocardial oxygen consumption increased twofold in both nonhypertrophied and hypertrophied ventricles during tachycardia. Oxygen extraction was significantly elevated, but coronary blood flow was not altered during pacing in either animal group. Therefore, at the pacing level chosen the diminished function in cardiac hypertrophy was not associated with reduced oxygen consumption. Conversely, reduced efficiency during pacing in the hypertrophied myocardium was suggested.

Blood flow, O2 extraction and O2 consumption along the rat small intestine

Differences in O2 delivery and consumption along the fed and fasted small intestine are described. Total wall blood flow was determined in sequential segments of small intestine from 5 to 6-month-old male, anesthetized Fischer 344 rats either 75-80 min before or after feeding, using radioactive microspheres. Oxygen saturation in submucosal arterioles and venules (50-60 micron diam) was determined throughout the intestine, using a microspectrophotometric technique. Venous O2 saturations showed considerable heterogeneity in all regions, and ranged from 0 to 77%. Arterial-venous O2 content differences (CaO2-CvO2) did not change along the fasted rat intestine, and averaged 8.2 ml O2/100 ml blood. However, CaO2-CvO2 followed a small proximal to distal gradient (proximal greater than distal) in the fed rats. Larger proximal to distal gradients (proximal greater than distal) occurred in both blood flow and O2 consumption in both groups. Feeding did not change intestinal average CaO2-CvO2. However, feeding induced a 53% increase in average O2 consumption, with the greatest increase (130%) occurring in the middle third of the intestine. Feeding induced a 42% increase in average blood flow, with the greatest increase (70%) occurring in the distal third of the intestine. The increased O2 used by the fed intestine was primarily provided by the increased blood flow. The O2 consumption gradient is assumed to reflect differences in mucosal mass along the intestine and/or differences in metabolic activity.

Decreased coronary vascular reserve in Watanabe heritable hyperlipidemic rabbits

Watanabe heritable hyperlipidemic (WHHL) rabbits have severe hypercholesterolemia due to a genetic defect in their low density lipoprotein receptors. Therefore, they develop severe premature atherosclerosis of the large arteries including the coronary arteries. In the present study, we measured the coronary vascular reserve of these rabbits to evaluate the total cross-sectional coronary surface area. This method allowed us to quantify the functional consequences of the coronary atherosclerotic lesions. To evaluate coronary vascular reserve, we measured coronary blood flow with the radioactive microsphere technique before and after induction of maximal coronary vasodilation by an intravenous dose of 9 mg/kg of carbocromen. A group of pure-bred WHHL rabbits was compared to a group of normal Burgundy rabbits at ages of 100 and 300 days. At 100 days, there was no difference in coronary vascular reserve between the two groups. However, at 300 days, the coronary vascular reserve in WHHL rabbits was 48% smaller than in the normal Burgundy rabbits (p less than 0.001). In addition, by making corrosion casts and morphological studies, we were able to show that at 300 days nearly all the WHHL rabbits had severe coronary atherosclerotic lesions located mainly at the origin of the large coronary arteries. We conclude that WHHL rabbits at 300 days have a severe impairment of their coronary vascular reserve due to proximal atherosclerotic lesions in the coronary arteries.

Quantitative morphometric determination of arteriolar and capillary perfusion within ischemic rabbit left ventricle

The aim of this study was to identify the percentage of the capillary and arteriolar beds that was perfused at a given time or that was capable of being perfused within subepicardium and subendocardium of ischemic and nonischemic myocardium of anesthetized, open-chest rabbits. Fluorescein isothiocyanate-dextran (150,000 MW) was injected intravenously to label perfused microvessels of rabbits that were subjected to 60 min of coronary artery occlusion. Fluorescent microscopy was used to identify the perfused vessels and an alkaline phosphatase stain was employed to locate the total microvasculature. Stereological principles were utilized to determine various morphometric parameters. After 14 sec of dextran injection, approximately 66 +/- 2% (mean +/- SEM) of the capillaries and 65 +/- 5% of the arterioles (19-50 microns) were perfused within ischemic myocardium. Two minutes after dextran injection, 72 +/- 3% of the capillaries and 94 +/- 4% of the arterioles were perfused within the ischemic myocardium. In the nonischemic myocardium, 64 +/- 2% of the capillaries and 59 +/- 5% of the arterioles were perfused 14 sec after dextran injection, while 94 +/- 1% and 96 +/- 2% of the capillaries and arterioles, respectively, were perfused 2 min after dextran injection. It is concluded that a significant unperfused reserve of arterioles exists, but a significant portion of the capillary bed is incapable of being perfused within ischemic rabbit myocardium.