Sensitivity to noradrenaline and electrical stimulation decreases with age in the rat tail artery.
We have studied vasoconstrictor responses to noradrenaline and electrical field stimulation in the isolated perfused/superfused tail arteries of rats of 6-7, 16-17 and 30-31 months of age. Maximal vasoconstrictor responses to noradrenaline were the same at all three ages. Sensitivity to noradrenaline and to electrical stimulation were reduced in the 16-17 and 30-31 month old rats. The noradrenaline content of the arteries of the two latter age groups was reduced. We conclude that aging in this resistance vessel is accompanied by a decrease in the arterial noradrenaline content and in the sensitivity of the artery to noradrenaline.
D000375:Aging; D000818:Animals; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000187:drug effects; D001835:Body Weight / Q000187:drug effects; D004558:Electric Stimulation; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000187:drug effects; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D008297:Male; D009131:Muscle, Smooth, Vascular / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D009638:Norepinephrine / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051381:Rats; D014661:Vasoconstriction / Q000187:drug effects
D009638:Norepinephrine