title: Validation of transit-time flowmetry for chronic measurements of regional blood flow in resting and exercising rats.
abstract: The objective of the present study was to validate the transit-time technique for long-term measurements of iliac and renal blood flow in rats. Flow measured with ultrasonic probes was confirmed ex vivo using excised arteries perfused at varying flow rates. An implanted 1-mm probe reproduced with accuracy different patterns of flow relative to pressure in freely moving rats and accurately quantitated the resting iliac flow value (on average 10.43 +/- 0.99 ml/min or 2.78 +/- 0.3 ml min-1 100 g body weight-1). The measurements were stable over an experimental period of one week but were affected by probe size (resting flows were underestimated by 57% with a 2-mm probe when compared with a 1-mm probe) and by anesthesia (in the same rats, iliac flow was reduced by 50-60% when compared to the conscious state). Instantaneous changes of iliac and renal flow during exercise and recovery were accurately measured by the transit-time technique. Iliac flow increased instantaneously at the beginning of mild exercise (from 12.03 +/- 1.06 to 25.55 +/- 3.89 ml/min at 15 s) and showed a smaller increase when exercise intensity increased further, reaching a plateau of 38.43 +/- 1.92 ml/min at the 4th min of moderate exercise intensity. In contrast, exercise-induced reduction of renal flow was smaller and slower, with 18% and 25% decreases at mild and moderate exercise intensities. Our data indicate that transit-time flowmetry is a reliable method for long-term and continuous measurements of regional blood flow at rest and can be used to quantitate the dynamic flow changes that characterize exercise and recovery.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Fisiologia e Biofísica, Universidade de São Paulo, Brasil.
authors.forename: S L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Amaral
authors.forename: L C
authors.initials: LC
authors.lastname: Michelini
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001783:Blood Flow Velocity / Q000502:physiology*; D017078:Laser-Doppler Flowmetry; D008297:Male; D010805:Physical Conditioning, Animal / Q000502:physiology*; D051381:Rats; D011921:Rats, Inbred WKY; D012212:Rheology / Q000379:methods