Effects of stimulation of aortic chemoreceptors on abdominal vascular resistance and capacitance in anaesthetized dogs.

1. Dogs were anaesthetized with chloralose, ventilated artificially, and the regions of the aortic arch and carotid sinuses were isolated vascularly and perfused with blood. The abdominal circulation was isolated vascularly, perfused at constant flow and drained from the inferior vena cava at constant venous pressure. Changes in vascular resistance were determined by calculating changes in abdominal aortic perfusion pressure, and changes in capacitance by integrating the changes in venous outflow. 2. Stimulation of aortic body chemoreceptors, either by changing the aortic arch perfusate from arterial to venous blood at constant perfusion pressure or by injection of sodium cyanide into the aortic arch, resulted in an increase in abdominal vascular resistance and a decrease in abdominal vascular capacitance. 3. After both cervical vagosympathetic trunks had been cut, stimulation of aortic chemoreceptors no longer resulted in resistance or capacitance responses. 4. These results indicate that stimulation of aortic chemoreceptors, like carotid chemoreceptors, results in reflex constriction of both resistance and capacitance vessels in the abdominal circulation.