Developmental differences in vascular smooth muscle mechanics in pulmonary and systemic circulations.

To evaluate the maturational changes in vascular muscle mechanics we studied and compared the isotonic half-time relaxation (t1/2P,CE) and maximal load-bearing capacity normalized to stress of pulmonary and systemic arterial muscle from perinatal and adult sheep. For the pulmonary and systemic vessels t1/2P,CE was significantly shorter in adult than in perinatal sheep (P < 0.01). In newborns t1/2P,CE of the pulmonary vessels was 185 +/- 31 (SE) s, longer than that of the systemic vessels (64 +/- 10 s; P < 0.01). In adults t1/2P,CE of the pulmonary vessels (101 +/- 14 s) was longer than that of the systemic vessels (37 +/- 5 s; P < 0.01). Maximal load-bearing capacities normalized to stress of pulmonary vessels of fetal and newborn sheep were twofold greater than those of adult sheep and of the systemic vessels of newborns and adults (P < 0.01). In conclusion, significant maturational changes in the isotonic and isometric mechanical properties of vascular pulmonary and systemic smooth muscle were observed in sheep.