Diameter, wall tension, and flow in mesenteric arterioles during autoregulation.

The effect of arterial pressure on vessel diameter, blood velocity, and intravascular pressure was examined in cat mesenteric arterioles in the arterial pressure range of 120--40 mmHg. Circumferential wall tension and volume flow in individual vessels were calculated. Twenty-nine arterioles with an average diameter of 25.1 micrometers were studied. Twenty-six reactive vessels dilated by an average of 6.5 micrometers with arterial pressure reduction, whereas three nonreactive arterioles narrowed by an average of 5.9 micrometers. When pressure was reduced, circumferential wall tension in reactive arterioles tended to be maintained, whereas in nonreactive vessels tension decreased more than pressure. Data from 25 of 26 reactive arterioles were consistent with the hypothesis that regulation of wall tension accounts for the autoregulatory response; however, in 18 of these vessels a flow-dependent mechanism could also account for the response. Thus the hypothesis that wall tension is a controlled variable responsible for autoregulation is supported, but an important role for flow regulation in local control is also supported.