Static and dynamic components in the vascular myogenic response to passive changes in length as revealed by electrical and mechanical recordings from the rat portal vein

Abstract

The effects of static and dynamic passive stretch and shortening on electrical activity and active force were analyzed in the isolated rat portal vein. Static stretch by 40% of muscle length evoked moderate excitatory effects with enhanced mechanical activity and an average increase in spike discharge of 12% above the control value of 55 plus or minus 2.6 spikes/min. The dynamic responses studied at various rates of length change (dL/dt) over the range between minus 12 and plus 12 mm/min, i.e., minus 3 and plus 3% muscle length/sec, were much more pronounced. Active force and spike activity showed graded increases with increasing rates of stretch. The electrical activity reached a value of 180 spikes/min (approximately equal to 325% of control) at 5 mm/min; this frequency was then maintained for stretch rates up to 12 mm/min. Mechanical activity during stretch was further reinforced by the shift along the length-tension diagram. Passive shortening at rates from minus 1 to minus 12 mm/min caused graded decreases in mechanical and electrical activity below the control levels, complete inhibition being observed at the latter dL/dt. Blockade of alpha and beta receptors indicated that the responses were myogenic in nature. The findings seem to provide direct support for the myogenic hypothesis of vascular tone and responses to stretch of the vascular wall, but they indicate that emphasis should be placed on the dynamic characteristics of the stimulus rather than its static nature. This emphasis constitutes a new concept in the myogenic control of the peripheral circulation.