title: Intermittent pneumatic leg compressions enhance muscle performance and blood flow in a model of peripheral arterial insufficiency.
abstract: Despite the escalating prevalence in the aging population, few therapeutic options exist to treat patients with peripheral arterial disease. Application of intermittent pneumatic leg compressions (IPC) is regarded as a promising noninvasive approach to treat this condition, but the clinical efficacy, as well the mechanistic basis of action of this therapy, remain poorly defined. We tested the hypothesis that 2 wk of daily application of IPC enhances exercise tolerance by improving blood flow and promoting angiogenesis in skeletal muscle in a model of peripheral arterial insufficiency. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were subjected to bilateral ligation of the femoral artery and randomly allocated to treatment or sham groups. Animals were anesthetized daily and exposed to 1-h sessions of bilateral IPC or sham treatment for 14-16 consecutive days. A third group of nonligated rats was also studied. Marked increases in treadmill exercise tolerance (∼33%, P < 0.05) and improved muscle performance in situ (∼10%, P < 0.05) were observed in IPC-treated animals. Compared with sham-treated controls, blood flow measured with isotope-labeled microspheres during in situ contractions tended to be higher in IPC-treated animals in muscles composed of predominantly fast-twitch white fibers, such as the plantaris (∼93%, P = 0.02). Capillary contacts per fiber and citrate synthase activity were not significantly altered by IPC treatment. Collectively, these data indicate that IPC improves exercise tolerance in a model of peripheral arterial insufficiency in part by enhancing blood flow to collateral-dependent tissues.
authors.affiliation: Dept. of Biomedical Sciences, E102, Vet. Med. Bldg., Univ. of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211, USA.
authors.forename: Bruno T
authors.initials: BT
authors.lastname: Roseguini
authors.forename: Arturo A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Arce-Esquivel
authors.forename: Sean C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Newcomer
authors.forename: Hsiao T
authors.initials: HT
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Ronald
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Terjung
authors.forename: M H
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Laughlin
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002196:Capillaries / Q000503:physiopathology; D002950:Citrate (si)-Synthase / Q000378:metabolism; D003097:Collateral Circulation; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D017079:Exercise Tolerance; D048228:Intermittent Pneumatic Compression Devices; D008297:Male; D009119:Muscle Contraction; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000098:blood supply* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology*; D018919:Neovascularization, Physiologic; D010084:Oxidation-Reduction; D058729:Peripheral Arterial Disease / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D020127:Recovery of Function; D012039:Regional Blood Flow; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D002950:Citrate (si)-Synthase