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: 294/2/R458    most recent 00475.2007v1 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 ISI 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 Google Scholar Articles by Cui, J. Articles by Sinoway, L. I. PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Cui, J. Articles by Sinoway, L. I.

NEUROHUMORAL CONTROL OF CARDIOVASCULAR FUNCTION

Effects of muscle metabolites on responses of muscle sympathetic nerve activity to mechanoreceptor(s) stimulation in healthy humans

Penn State Heart and Vascular Institute, Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, Hershey, Pennsylvania

Submitted 2 July 2007 ; accepted in final form 9 November 2007

Based on animal studies, it has been speculated that muscle metabolites sensitize muscle mechanoreceptors and increase mechanoreceptor-mediated muscle sympathetic nerve activity (MSNA). However, this hypothesis has not been directly tested in humans. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that in healthy individuals passive stretch of forearm muscles would evoke significant increases in mean MSNA when muscle metabolite concentrations were increased. In 12 young healthy subjects, MSNA, ECG, and blood pressure were recorded. Subjects performed static fatiguing isometric handgrip at 30% maximum voluntary contraction followed by 4 min of postexercise muscle ischemia (PEMI). After 2 min of PEMI, wrist extension (i.e., wrist dorsiflexion) was performed. The static stretch protocol was also performed during 1) a freely perfused condition, 2) ischemia alone, and 3) PEMI after nonfatiguing exercise. Finally, repetitive short bouts of wrist extension were also performed under freely perfused conditions. This last paradigm evoked transient increases in MSNA but had no significant effect on mean MSNA over the whole protocol. During the PEMI after fatiguing handgrip, static stretch induced significant increases in MSNA (552 ± 74 to 673 ± 90 U/min, P < 0.01) and mean blood pressure (102 ± 2 to 106 ± 2 mmHg, P < 0.001). Static stretch performed under the other three conditions had no significant effects on mean MSNA and blood pressure. The present data verified that in healthy humans mechanoreceptor(s) stimulation evokes significant increases in mean MSNA and blood pressure when muscle metabolite concentrations are increased above a certain threshold.

muscle afferent; exercise pressor reflex; autonomic nervous system

This article has been cited by other articles:

				J. Cui, R. Moradkhan, V. Mascarenhas, A. Momen, and L. I. Sinoway Cyclooxygenase inhibition attenuates sympathetic responses to muscle stretch in humans Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol, June 1, 2008; 294(6): H2693 - H2700. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]