Chronic cold exposure stimulates microvascular remodeling preferentially in oxidative muscles in rats.

The effects of 4-week cold exposure on capillary geometry, particularly in terms of the distribution of arteriolar and venular capillaries and their capillary domain areas, were studied for different types of skeletal muscles in male Wistar rats. Morphological data for capillaries and muscles were obtained from muscle cross-sections exposed to a double-staining method that distinguishes arteriolar portions from venular portions of capillaries. In soleus (SOL; type I fibers) and the deep portion of gastrocnemius (GASd; type I and IIa fibers) muscles, total capillary density and density of arteriolar capillary were significantly greater in cold-acclimated (CA) rats than in warm control (WC) rats (p < 0.05). In the superficial portion of the gastrocnemius (GASs; type IIb fibers), however, these changes in capillarity were not observed. After cold acclimation, fiber cross-sectional area was significantly decreased by 21, 28 and 15% in SOL, GASd and GASs (p < 0.05), respectively. In SOL and GASd but not in GASs, capillary domain areas of arteriolar, intermediate and venular portions in CA were significantly smaller than those of the respective portions in WC (p < 0.05). Succinate dehydrogenase activity was significantly increased after cold acclimation, by 31% in SOL and 21% in GASd (p < 0.05). In GASs, however, the activity remained unchanged after cold acclimation. These results suggest that adaptive changes in the oxygen transport system were observed after cold acclimation in the skeletal muscles that are mainly composed of oxidative fibers. These adaptive changes may improve the effective oxygen supply to muscle tissues that contribute to thermogenesis in a cold atmosphere.