HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) All Versions of this Article: 287/2/R391    most recent 00731.2003v1 Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in Web of Science Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Web of Science (9) Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Swoap, S. J. Articles by Garber, G. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Swoap, S. J. Articles by Garber, G.

COMPARATIVE AND EVOLUTIONARY PHYSIOLOGY

Effect of ambient temperature on cardiovascular parameters in rats and mice: a comparative approach

¹Department of Biology, Williams College, Williamstown, Massachusetts 01267; and ²Department of Nutrition, Food and Exercise Sciences, Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida 32306

Submitted 29 December 2003 ; accepted in final form 8 April 2004

Ambient air temperatures (T_a) of <6°C or >29°C have been shown to induce large changes in arterial blood pressure and heart rate in homeotherms. The present study was designed to investigate whether small incremental changes in T_a, such as those found in typical laboratory settings, would have an impact on blood pressure and other cardiovascular parameters in mice and rats. We predicted that small decreases in T_a would impact the cardiovascular parameters of mice more than rats due to the increased thermogenic demands resulting from a greater surface area-to-volume ratio in mice relative to rats. Cardiovascular parameters were measured with radiotelemetry in mice and rats that were housed in temperature-controlled environments. The animals were exposed to different T_a every 72 h, beginning at 30°C and incrementally decreasing by 4°C at each time interval to 18°C and then incrementally increasing back up to 30°C. As T_a decreased, mean blood pressure, heart rate, and pulse pressure increased significantly for both mice (1.6 mmHg/°C, 14.4 beats·min^–1·°C^–1, and 0.8 mmHg/°C, respectively) and rats (1.2 mmHg/°C, 8.1 beats·min^–1·°C^–1, and 0.8 mmHg/°C, respectively). Thus small changes in T_a significantly impact the cardiovascular parameters of both rats and mice, with mice demonstrating a greater sensitivity to these T_a changes.

blood pressure; heart rate; standard deviation of the interbeat interval; radiotelemetry

This article has been cited by other articles:

				S. J. Swoap and M. J. Gutilla Cardiovascular changes during daily torpor in the laboratory mouse Am J Physiol Regulatory Integrative Comp Physiol, September 1, 2009; 297(3): R769 - R774. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				S. J. Swoap, C. Li, J. Wess, A. D. Parsons, T. D. Williams, and J. M. Overton Vagal tone dominates autonomic control of mouse heart rate at thermoneutrality Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol, April 1, 2008; 294(4): H1581 - H1588. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				A. Ayer, V. Antic, A. G. Dulloo, B. N. Van Vliet, and J.-P. Montani Hemodynamic consequences of chronic parasympathetic blockade with a peripheral muscarinic antagonist Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol, August 1, 2007; 293(2): H1265 - H1272. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				S. J. Swoap, M. Rathvon, and M. Gutilla AMP does not induce torpor Am J Physiol Regulatory Integrative Comp Physiol, July 1, 2007; 293(1): R468 - R473. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				S. A. Evans, A. D. Parsons, and J. M. Overton Homeostatic responses to caloric restriction: influence of background metabolic rate J Appl Physiol, October 1, 2005; 99(4): 1336 - 1342. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]