title: Muscle microvasculature's structural and functional specializations facilitate muscle metabolism.
abstract: We review the evolving findings from studies that examine the relationship between the structural and functional properties of skeletal muscle's vasculature and muscle metabolism. Unique aspects of the organization of the muscle microvasculature are highlighted. We discuss the role of vasomotion at the microscopic level and of flowmotion at the tissue level as modulators of perfusion distribution in muscle. We then consider in some detail how insulin and exercise each modulate muscle perfusion at both the microvascular and whole tissue level. The central role of the vascular endothelial cell in modulating both perfusion and transendothelial insulin and nutrient transport is also reviewed. The relationship between muscle metabolic insulin resistance and the vascular action of insulin in muscle continues to indicate an important role for the microvasculature as a target for insulin action and that impairing insulin's microvascular action significantly affects body glucose metabolism.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Maastricht University Medical Center, Maastricht, The Netherlands; Cardiovascular Research Institute Maastricht, Maastricht University Medical Centre, Maastricht, The Netherlands; and.
authors.forename: Yvo H A M
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Kusters
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Pediatrics, and Pharmacology, University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville, Virginia ejb8x@Virginia.edu.
authors.forename: Eugene J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Barrett
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D042783:Endothelial Cells / Q000502:physiology*; D015444:Exercise / Q000502:physiology*; D005947:Glucose / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D007328:Insulin / Q000378:metabolism; D007333:Insulin Resistance; D008833:Microcirculation / Q000502:physiology*; D055806:Microvessels / Q000502:physiology*; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000098:blood supply* / Q000378:metabolism; D012039:Regional Blood Flow; D014666:Vasomotor System / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D007328:Insulin; D005947:Glucose
keywords: endothelium; flowmotion; insulin resistance; muscle microvasculature; vasomotion