Responses of single arterioles in vivo in cat skeletal muscle to change in arterial pressure applied at different rates.

The concept of a rate-dependent, dynamic as well as a static component in the myogenic control has been suggested in some previous in vitro and whole organ investigations. The present study is an attempt to reveal a dynamic component in the myogenic response directly on single arterioles by a vital microscopic technique. The study was made on the autonomically blocked vascular bed of cat tenuissimus muscle and performed by analysing the arteriolar diameter changes to an arterial pressure increase and decrease when applied at two different rates. The results demonstrate a transient, dynamic constrictor response upon the phasic increase in pressure and a transient, dynamic dilator response upon the phasic decrease in pressure, the magnitudes of which being related to the rate of the pressure change. The static response developing during the steady-state phase of constant increased pressure was also shown. The dynamic responses were confined to arterioles smaller than about 20 micrometers while the steady-state response was present in larger arterioles as well. Even if the metabolic control system partly could be responsible for the obtained responses, arguments are given that the described reactions are mainly myogenic in nature.