Mechanics and composition of middle cerebral arteries from simulated microgravity rats with and without 1-h/d -Gx gravitation.
BACKGROUND
To elucidate further from the biomechanical aspect whether microgravity-induced cerebral vascular mal-adaptation might be a contributing factor to postflight orthostatic intolerance and the underlying mechanism accounting for the potential effectiveness of intermittent artificial gravity (IAG) in preventing this adverse effect.


RESULTS
Middle cerebral arteries (MCAs) were isolated from 28-day SUS (tail-suspended, head-down tilt rats to simulate microgravity effect), S+D (SUS plus 1-h/d -Gx gravitation by normal standing to simulate IAG), and CON (control) rats. Vascular myogenic reactivity and circumferential stress-strain and axial force-pressure relationships and overall stiffness were examined using pressure arteriography and calculated. Acellular matrix components were quantified by electron microscopy. The results demonstrate that myogenic reactivity is susceptible to previous pressure-induced, serial constrictions. During the first-run of pressure increments, active MCAs from SUS rats can strongly stiffen their wall and maintain the vessels at very low strains, which can be prevented by the simulated IAG countermeasure. The strains are 0.03 and 0.14 respectively for SUS and S+D, while circumferential stress being kept at 0.5 (106 dyn/cm2). During the second-run pressure steps, both the myogenic reactivity and active stiffness of the three groups declined. The distensibility of passive MCAs from S+D is significantly higher than CON and SUS, which may help to attenuate the vasodilatation impairment at low levels of pressure. Collagen and elastin percentages were increased and decreased, respectively, in MCAs from SUS and S+D as compared with CON; however, elastin was higher in S+D than SUS rats.


CONCLUSIONS
Susceptibility to previous myogenic constrictions seems to be a self-limiting protective mechanism in cerebral small resistance arteries to prevent undue cerebral vasoconstriction during orthostasis at 1-G environment. Alleviating of active stiffening and increasing of distensibility of cerebral resistance arteries may underlie the countermeasure effectiveness of IAG.
Department of Aerospace Physiology and Key Laboratory of Aerospace Medicine of Ministry of Education, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, China.
Jiu-Hua
JH
Cheng
Department of Aerospace Physiology and Key Laboratory of Aerospace Medicine of Ministry of Education, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, China.
Li-Fan
LF
Zhang
Department of Aerospace Physiology and Key Laboratory of Aerospace Medicine of Ministry of Education, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, China.
Fang
F
Gao
Department of Aerospace Physiology and Key Laboratory of Aerospace Medicine of Ministry of Education, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, China.
Yun-Gang
YG
Bai
Department of Aerospace Engineering, Cranfield University, Cranfield, United Kingdom.
Marco
M
Boscolo
Central Laboratory, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, China.
Xiao-Feng
XF
Huang
Department of Aerospace Engineering, Cranfield University, Cranfield, United Kingdom.
Xiang
X
Zhang
D000792:Angiography; D000818:Animals; D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D020768:Middle Cerebral Artery / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000502:physiology*; D011312:Pressure; D051381:Rats; D018474:Weightlessness Simulation / Q000379:methods*