An experimental study and mathematical simulation of adrenergic control of hindlimb vessels in rats after 3-week tail suspension.

Adrenoreactivity of rat hindlimb vessels was studied in experiments with constant-pressure saline perfusion. An original mathematical model was applied to evaluate the mechanism of changes in vascular tone regulation. A 3-week suspension resulted in decreased responses to sympathetic nerve stimulation, as well as to exogenous noradrenaline, the latter effect being registered when the pressure level was close to normal. Mathematical simulation indicated that long-term suspension induces both structural and functional changes in the vascular bed of the hind limbs, one of which is a disorder in the myogenic mechanisms of vascular tone regulation. In suspended rats, suppression of the myogenic response can be one of the reasons for decreased vessel reactivity to constrictor stimuli and, consequently, for disturbances in blood flow regulation in skeletal muscles of the hind limbs.