Lecture 13: Local and Humoral control of blood flow Flashcards
How is blood distributed throughout the circulatory system?
Different vascular beds receive different amounts of blood (measured as a percentage of cardiac output)
depends on the normal metabolic needs of the tissue.
See figure
Variations in blood flow to different organs
Some organs tend to receive much more blood than they typically need, and can survive large fluctuations in blood flow without damage.
Other organs including brain and heart (equipped almost solely for aerobic respiration) are sensitive to changes in blood flow, and are easily damaged by insufficient flow
Blood flow to the kidneys, skin and digestive organs may change drastically in the course of normal physiology (i.e. exercise).
What physical factors determine blood flow?
Pressure
Resistance
CO = MAP/TPR
Flow = delta P/ Resistance
What is the main driving force for flow through a vessel?
Pressure gradient (delta P)
**it is the difference in pressure, NOT the absolute pressure that is critical
See figure
What forces are responsible for resistance to flow?
Friction from the blood rubbing against vessel wall
Relationship of resistance to vessel surface area
Greater vessel surface area in contact with blood (small diameter arteriole) causes greater resistance to flow
Energy is lost as blood moves from great arteries through the arteriolar network
See figure
Relationship of resistance to vessel radius and flow
Resistance is inversely related to the fourth power of vessel radius (r)
What would happen to resistance if arteriolar radius increased by 2x? What would happen to flow rate?
16 fold decrease in resistance
16 fold increase in flow rate (flow rate is inversely related to resistance)
See figure
What is Poseuille’s law?
Describes the factors that affect flow rate through a vessel
See figure
Which component of poseuille’s law has the largest and most important contribution to resistance?
Radius of the vessel
Actively regulated
What is atheroscleorosis?
Radius narrows due to plaque
In order to maintain flow, the heart must work harder
Where is pressure lost in the circulatory system?
Mostly in arterioles
Comparison of blood vessels
See table
Which vessels are the major resistance vessels of the vascular tree?
Arterioles
As blood flows through these vessels, the mean pressure falls from ~93 mm Hg (i.e. mean arterial pressure) to 37 mm Hg (pressure at the beginning of capillaries).
What does arteriolar resistance create?
the pressure differential which encourages blood to flow from the heart to various organs downstream.
also converts pulsatile pressure swings to non-fluctuating pressure in the capillaries.
Role of arterioles in organs
Each organ has a complement of arterioles that can be adjusted independently to determine the distribution of cardiac output and to regulate blood pressure.
Arteriolar wall composition
little connective tissue
relatively thick layer of smooth muscle allowing for robust contraction.
Regulation of arteriolar diameter
Any alteration in the resistance (TPR) will influence the mean arterial pressure upstream of the point of resistance
If all arteriolar beds open maximally all at once = blood pressure drops
See figure
How is tissue blood flow regulated?
Regulation of arteriolar diameter results in regulation
More blood flows to areas whose arterioles offer the least resistance to its passage
What is vasoconstriction?
Reduction of arteriolar circumference due to contraction of smooth muscle lining the vessel.
What is vasodilation?
Enlargement of the circumference and radius of a vessel due to relaxation of smooth muscle.
What is vascular tone? What does it allow?
Partial constriction of the arteriole. Normally, some tone is present.
Vascular tone allows for fine control of resistance (vasodilation and vasoconstriction).
What would happen if tone did not exist?
No vasodilatory control
Structure of the circulatory system in local tissues
Conduit artery
Feed artery
Primary arteriole
Terminal arteriole
Capillary
Capillary
Venule
Vein
See figure
Role of conduit arteries
Designed to transport blood to areas of the body
Role of feed arteries
Vascular resistance vessels designed to regulate flow to specific areas of the body.
account for ~ 50% of TPR.
Role of terminal arterioles
last control point for regulating blood flow into capillaries.
Therefore, to
perfuse a microvascular unit, the terminal arteriole must be dilated.
What is an MVU?
Microvascular unit
all of the capillaries arising from a common terminal arteriole
Role of capillaries
Capillaries are considered to be the primary location
where oxygen transfer occurs in muscle.
There is no VSM in capillaries, rather there is only an endothelial layer.
This promotes diffusion by limiting the distance that oxygen must diffuse.
Which vessels are surrounded by SNS nerves? Role?
The feed arteries and arterioles
may activate vasoconstriction to increase systemic TPR to enhance blood pressure and to limit blood flow to areas of low metabolic demand.
Veins, but not venules are surrounded by SNS nerves
How may venules become constricted?
spillover from the arterioles may constrict venules to promote venous return.
This type of control is not as important as the control of vasoconstriction of arterioles because veins are very elastic and can stretch to accommodate more volume
How does vasodilation migrate in response to metabolic accumulation?
Distal to proximal vessels
Step 1. Metabolic accumulation is sensed by the capillaries and terminal arterioles, which triggers local vasodilation as well as upstream vasodilatation of the terminal arterioles.
Step 2. GAP junctions within the endothelium and VSMC send a signal up the arterial tree to vasodilate primary
arterioles and feed arteries.
This is particularly important Because feed arteries are not located in muscle and
are not exposed to metabolic stimuli.
Step 3. Conduit arteries are located outside of muscle and therefore are physically removed from the local metabolite and vasoactive stimuli produced by skeletal muscle.
Why does vasodilation ascend from distal to proximal vessels? Why not dilate upstream feed arteries to perfuse all the vessels downstream?
It does this so that the system is able to specifically match perfusion of local tissues with the metabolic demand of the specific tissue.
Thus, the system optimizes local blood flow by making sure the system is able to accommodate and needs the added blood flow without sacrificing blood flow to other parts of the body
See figure
What causes arteriolar vasoconstriction
Increased myogenic activity
Increased O2
Decreased CO2 and other metabolites
Increased SNS stimulation, vasopressin, angiotension II, cold
See figure
What causes arteriolar vasodilation?
Decreased myogenic activity
Decreased O2
Increased CO2 and other metabolites
Decreases SNS stimulation, histamine, heat
Systemic/extrinsic factors vs local/intrinsic factors
Systemic factors affect arterioles throughout the body (exception: brain). Regulate systemic blood pressure
Local factors either reinforce or oppose systemic factors. Restricted to specific vascular bed. Regulate net flow to the tissue
LOCAL OVERRIDES SYSTEMIC
See figure
What is extrinsic control of arteriolar resistance important for?
important in overall regulation of arterial blood pressure.
What are the important factors for extrinsic control of arteriolar resistance?
Neural and hormonal factors
Effects of SNS nerves are most important
What do sympathetic nerve fibres supply?
descend from the cardiovascular control centre of the brain
supply all smooth muscle except that in brain tissue.
How is vascular tone maintained?
maintained by a basal level of sympathetic activity, which generally causes vasoconstriction.