|
|
||||||||
Department of Physiology, The University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio, Texas
Submitted 14 March 2007 ; accepted in final form 24 April 2007
| ABSTRACT |
|---|
|
|
|---|
cutaneous circulation; adrenergic; bretylium; local anesthesia
Local skin cooling causes an immediate vasoconstriction, followed by a further fall in skin blood flow as cooling continues. In the presence of sensory nerve blockade or vasoconstrictor system inhibition (either presynaptically with bretylium tosylate or postsynaptically with yohimbine and propranolol), local cooling evokes an initial transitory vasodilation during the first 5 min (10, 15, 19, 21). This vasodilation is best seen under those conditions and can be minimized by reducing the rate at which cooling is performed, showing an influence of the rate of cooling on the phenomena (21).
In the longer term following this transient vasodilation, there is a net vasoconstriction, which is dependent in part on sympathetic vasoconstrictor function (5, 7, 10, 15, 21) and in part on the nitric oxide system (7, 21). Local cooling influences not only the nitric oxide synthase enzymes but also processes downstream of these enzymes in the nitric oxide vasodilator pathway (7, 21). The dependence of cooling-induced vasoconstriction on adrenergic function could be via translocation of
2C-adrenergic receptors to the vascular smooth muscle membrane due to Rho-kinase (1, 19) or an action of sensory nerves on sympathetic nerves (10), or some combination of these.
The observation that the transient vasodilation is unmasked by either sensory or sympathetic nerve blockade suggested the possibility that local cooling stimulates the vasoconstrictor nerves via a sensory nerve pathway that communicates directly to the sympathetic vasoconstrictor nerves (10). That earlier interpretation is not consistent, however, with in vitro findings of cooling causing reduced synthesis and release of norepinephrine (20). Therefore, the role of sensory nerves in longer term local cooling, and whether they play a role in the adrenergic contribution to the cutaneous vasoconstriction with local cooling, has not been established. Therefore, in this study, we directly tested whether intact sensory nerves are required for the adrenergically dependent component of cutaneous vasoconstriction with local cooling.
| METHODS |
|---|
|
|
|---|
Measurements. Skin blood flow was monitored by laser-Doppler flowmetry (Moor Instruments, Axminster, UK) on the ventral aspect of the forearm and expressed as laser-Doppler flow (LDF) (8). LDF measurements have been shown to be exclusive to the skin and are not affected by underlying skeletal muscle blood flow (17). The LDF probes were housed in custom-built metal Peltier cooling/heating probe holders (7, 10, 21). These devices, which allow local temperature (Tloc) of the skin surrounding the LDF measurement site to be controlled independently of whole body skin temperature (Tsk), cover 6.3 cm2 with the exception of a small aperture (0.28 cm2) in the center of the holder to enable blood flow measurement. Local skin temperature was assessed by a thermocouple placed between the skin and probe holder. Mean arterial pressure (MAP) was measured continuously at the left middle finger by photoplethysmography (Finapres, Ohmeda, WI) (14). The ratio of LDF to MAP was calculated as an index of cutaneous vascular conductance (CVC). Water-perfused suits, which covered the entire body except the head, hands, feet, and the experimental forearm, were used to control Tsk. Tsk was calculated as the weighted average of temperature readings from thermocouples at the following sites: chest, upper back, lower back, abdomen, thigh, and calf (18). To minimize tonic vasoconstrictor activity, whole body Tsk values were kept at 36°C, except for a 3-min period of aggressive whole body cooling to 31°C to test for adequate blockade of vasoconstrictor nerve neurotransmitter release (11). Whole body Tsk was kept at the slightly warm temperature of 36°C because we wanted to remove as much of the tonic release of norepinephrine as possible, without increasing Tsk so much as to increase blood flow. Tloc for the 6.3-cm2 area surrounding LDF sites was controlled at 34°C during the baseline period and was slowly reduced to 29°C (0.33°C/min) during the local cooling protocol. All variables were sampled at 1-s intervals and stored as 20-s averages for off-line analysis.
Blockade of transmitter release from vasoconstrictor nerve terminals was achieved through iontophoresis of bretylium tosylate (BT; Schweizerhall, South Plainfield, NJ) at a concentration of 10 mM at 250 µA for 10 min to a 0.64-cm2 area of skin (11). Sensory nerve blockade was achieved through the use of a topical local anesthetic cream (Fougera, Melville, NY) consisting of lidocaine (2.5%) and prilocaine (2.5%) (10). The cream was applied to an area of 8 cm2 under an occlusive dressing, where it was left for a minimum of 2 h. The area was tested for sensory loss both before the study began and at its completion.
Protocol.
The protocol was performed to test whether functional sensory nerves are required for the adrenergic portion of the vasoconstrictor response to local cooling. Four sites were randomly selected on the ventral aspect of the forearm. The treatment of those sites and the protocol are outlined in Fig. 1. Site 1 was an untreated control; site 2 was treated with BT to inhibit the release of norepinephrine from vasoconstrictor nerves; site 3 was treated with topical local anesthetic to inhibit sensory nerve function; and, finally, site 4 was treated with the combination of BT and local anesthetic to inhibit both systems. We reasoned that if a significant portion of the vasoconstriction to local cooling was due to sensory nerve stimulation of vasoconstrictor nerves, then the degree of vasoconstriction at sites without functional adrenergic nerves, without functional sensory nerves, or lacking both would be approximately equal and all would have responses reduced from those seen at control sites. After a minimum of 2 h had elapsed, allowing maximum anesthetization, those sites (sites 3 and 4, Fig. 1) were tested by pin prick to confirm that they were anesthetized. Subjects were then instrumented as described above. After the subject had been lying quietly for a minimum of 30 min, baseline measurements were recorded for 10 min. After a 3-min period of whole body cooling to test for the adequacy of vasoconstrictor nerve blockade by BT (sites 2 and 4, Fig. 1), Tsk was returned to 36°C. This also verified whether vasoconstrictor nerve function remained intact in the presence of local anesthesia. Tloc at all sites was maintained at 34°C throughout this portion of the study. Next, Tloc was reduced to 29°C, at a rate of 0.33°C/min, for the next 15 min. This slow rate was used to lessen the early transitory vasodilation (21). Once CVC had stabilized (
20 min), Tloc was returned to 34°C. Whole body Tsk was again cooled to 31°C to confirm inhibition of vasoconstrictor nerve activity with BT treatment. A reduction in CVC of >10% at BT-treated sites was taken to indicate inadequate blockade, and data from such sites were excluded from further analysis (11). Finally, sites treated with local anesthesia were tested, by pin prick, to ensure they were still anesthetized. No sites had to be excluded on these bases in this study.
|
15 min after the local cooling ramp had finished and CVC had stabilized). Analysis was performed using paired statistics or, when appropriate, repeated-measures ANOVA. Statistical significance was assumed when P < 0.05. Power analysis indicated that a minimum of six subjects would be required to detect a P < 0.05 with 95% power. | RESULTS |
|---|
|
|
|---|
|
|
|
| DISCUSSION |
|---|
|
|
|---|
The notion that sensory nerves might be involved in the cutaneous vasoconstrictor response to local cooling initially derived from responses to local cooling during the early vasodilation phase, which is seen if sensory nerves are blocked or, to a lesser extent, if vasoconstrictor nerve neurotransmission is blocked (10, 15, 21). This correspondence suggested the potential for a series linkage. The current data, however, do not support such a link between sensory nerves and vasoconstrictor nerves during the longer term cutaneous vasoconstrictor response to local cooling, because that similarity in pattern no longer continues when the local cooling is performed slowly. This proposition is also based on the findings of a similar longer term vasoconstrictor response to local cooling at the untreated control sites and at those sites treated with local anesthesia. There also appears to be no sensory nerve involvement in the nonadrenergic later phase vasoconstriction to local cooling. This conclusion is supported by results from the BT sites and local anesthesia plus BT sites having similar degrees of vasoconstriction. At BT-treated sites, only the nonadrenergic component of the local cooling response is functional (7, 21). If that portion were dependent on sensory nerve activation, one would expect a smaller vasoconstriction at sites treated with local anesthesia.
Lindblad et al. (12) also examined the influence of the infiltration of local anesthetic in the response in finger blood flow to brief (30 s) local cooling. They found such treatments block completely the vasoconstrictor response. The short duration and rapidity of the cooling in that study precluded comparison with the current study, however. Furthermore, it is not known whether dorsal finger skin and forearm skin have the same mechanisms for locally induced vasoconstrictor responses. For example, the authors did not report a vasodilator response to rapid local cooling in locally anesthetized skin, as was seen in forearm skin in the current study and earlier (10).
The rate of cooling has other important roles, as well. For example, the vasoconstriction seen early in local cooling in previous studies (10, 21) was not seen until later in the procedure in the current study, but the degree and rate of cooling were less. Also, the initial vasodilation seen at sites pretreated with BT is rate dependent, requiring rapid cooling for the vasodilator phase to be pronounced (21). It is also important to note that in the earlier study (10), an initial vasodilation was noted if either sensory or sympathetic function was inhibited; that study involved relatively rapid cooling. With slow local cooling, a clear difference was revealed in which sites treated with local anesthesia showed a vasodilation, but sites treated with BT only did not. This observation supports our conclusion of a separation between sensory and sympathetic contributions to the responses to local cooling. Furthermore, if repeated bouts of local cooling are applied, the initial vasodilation, at least at the BT-treated sites, decreases in magnitude (21). This, plus the transient nature of the response and its rate dependency, suggests that the vasodilator phenomenon might be mediated through a depletable intermediate. Regardless of this speculation, ascertaining the basis of this response remains problematic, and its origin remains a mystery.
The vasoconstriction elicited from adrenergic-dependent mechanisms would appear most likely to be due to cooling causing a translocation of
2C-receptors from the Golgi apparatus to the vascular smooth muscle cell surface by Rho-kinase (1, 2, 19). This effect on adrenergic receptors occurs despite reduced synthesis of norepinephrine from sympathetic nerve endings and a general inhibition of the contractile process (3, 6, 20). As such, the vasoconstriction that occurs in response to the lower local temperatures might be mediated entirely by Rho-kinase through the translocation of
2C-receptors. If, indeed, local cooling decreases synthesis and release of norepinephrine in vivo as it does in vitro, then the adrenergic-dependent portion of the vasoconstriction to local cooling would be entirely due to an increased number of
2C-receptors. In that case, one might speculate that the increased number of
2C-receptors more than balances any reductions in transmitter synthesis and release and, furthermore, that tonic transmitter release is necessary to stimulate those receptors. This is, however, speculation and requires further investigation.
Figure 5 shows our current working model of how local cooling exerts its effects on the cutaneous circulation. It is based on this and previous studies from our laboratory and those of others. Early in the local cooling process (Fig. 5A), sensory and sympathetic nerves are stimulated to cause a vasoconstriction. This is reversed if either of these systems is inhibited, unmasking a transitory vasodilation. Later in the local cooling process (Fig. 5B), nitric oxide synthase activity is reduced, as is the release of transmitter from sympathetic nerves; there is also a translocation of
2C-receptors to the cell surface. The reduction in nitric oxide activity and the translocation of
2C-receptors appears to be mediated by Rho- kinase (1, 19).
|
The specificity of the local anesthesia acting only on the sensory nerves and not affecting the vasoconstrictor nerves was again confirmed (10). Intuitively, it would be expected that the combination of lidocaine and prilocaine would interfere with nerve conduction of all small myelinated and unmyelinated fibers; nevertheless, that does not appear to be the case. This might be due to sensory nerves being more superficial than the vasoconstrictor nerves. The topical application of anesthesia would require a greater distance for the diffusion of these substances to the vasoconstrictor nerves.
In summary, we have confirmed that the longer term vasoconstrictor response to local cooling can be completely achieved without functional sensory nerves. Interestingly, although intact sensory nerves are not required for a complete vasoconstrictor response to local cooling in the cutaneous circulation, sensory nerve function is required for vasoconstriction to occur early in the local cooling process. Without functional sensory nerves, a transient vasodilation is unmasked even during slow local cooling. However, the current study shows clearly that the involvement of sensory nerves does not induce an axon-reflex stimulation of release of norepinephrine from sympathetic nerves. On the basis of work by others, the adrenergic portion of the response to local cooling would appear to involve largely a postsynaptic translocation of
2C-receptors mediated by Rho-kinase (1, 19). It would be most likely that the effects of local cooling via translocation of
2C-receptors would also be dependent on the tonic release of norepinephrine. In the present study, that should have been low, because whole body Tsk was kept at a slightly warm (36°C) temperature throughout. We do not know, however, if all norepinephrine release had been eliminated.
| GRANTS |
|---|
|
|
|---|
| ACKNOWLEDGMENTS |
|---|
| FOOTNOTES |
|---|
The costs of publication of this article were defrayed in part by the payment of page charges. The article must therefore be hereby marked "advertisement" in accordance with 18 U.S.C. Section 1734 solely to indicate this fact.
| REFERENCES |
|---|
|
|
|---|
2C-adrenoceptor translocation. Circ Res 94: 13671374, 2004.
-Adrenoceptors and cold-induced vasoconstriction in human finger skin. Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol 255: H1000H1003, 1988.
-1 and
-2 adrenergic responses in canine saphenous and femoral veins. J Pharmacol Exp Ther 238: 139147, 1986.This article has been cited by other articles:
![]() |
G. J. Hodges, C. Chiu, W. A. Kosiba, K. Zhao, and J. M. Johnson The effect of microdialysis needle trauma on cutaneous vascular responses in humans J Appl Physiol, April 1, 2009; 106(4): 1112 - 1118. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
G. J. Hodges, W. A. Kosiba, K. Zhao, and J. M. Johnson The involvement of heating rate and vasoconstrictor nerves in the cutaneous vasodilator response to skin warming Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol, January 1, 2009; 296(1): H51 - H56. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
M. Shibasaki, D. A. Low, S. L. Davis, and C. G. Crandall Nitric oxide inhibits cutaneous vasoconstriction to exogenous norepinephrine J Appl Physiol, November 1, 2008; 105(5): 1504 - 1508. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
G. J. Hodges, W. A. Kosiba, K. Zhao, and J. M. Johnson The involvement of norepinephrine, neuropeptide Y, and nitric oxide in the cutaneous vasodilator response to local heating in humans J Appl Physiol, July 1, 2008; 105(1): 233 - 240. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| HOME | HELP | FEEDBACK | SUBSCRIPTIONS | ARCHIVE | SEARCH | TABLE OF CONTENTS |
| Visit Other APS Journals Online |