Cardiovascular Effects of Hind-limb Unweighing in Mice / 대한마취과학회지

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Orthostatic intolerance is a debilitating problem that can occur after prolonged bed-rest, exposure to microgravity, and in the elderly. This study examined the integrated cardiovascular response to baroreceptor activation in a hind-limb unweighing (HLU) mouse model of microgravity to test the hypothesis that both the pressor and contractility response are attenuated in HLU mice. METHODS: C57BL/6 mice (25-30 g body wt, 8-10 wk old) were exposed to HLU for 2 weeks. A bilateral carotid artery occlusion and open-loop baroreceptor stimulus was performed to measure the myocardial contractile responses using a left ventricular micromanometer-conductance catheter in the mice. In isolated myocytes simultaneous sarcomere shortening and calcium transient were measured in response to increasing concentrations of the beta-agonist isoproterenol. RESULTS: In the controls, bilateral carotid artery occlusion increased the heart rate and mean arterial pressure. These responses were markedly attenuated in the HLU mice. A bilateral carotid artery occlusion also increased the slope of the end-systolic pressure volume relationship (Ees) by 70 +/- 11% and the slope was markedly attenuated to 10 +/- 8% in the HLU mice. Isoproterenol increased the sarcomere shortening in both control and HLU mice in a dose-dependent manner. However the contractile response to isoproterenol was significantly attenuated in the HLU mice than the controls. CONCLUSIONS: Both the pressor and myocardial contractile responses appear to be impaired in a mouse model of microgravity.