In humans, sympathetic nerve activity (SNA) at rest can vary several-fold among normotensive individuals with similar blood pressures. We recently showed that a balance exists between SNA and cardiac output, which may contribute to the maintenance of normal blood pressures over the range of resting SNA levels. In the present studies, we assessed whether variability in vascular adrenergic responsiveness has a role in this balance. We tested the hypothesis that forearm vascular responses to noradrenaline (NA) and tyramine (TYR) are related to SNA such that individuals with lower resting SNA have greater adrenergic responsiveness, and vice-versa. We measured multifibre muscle SNA (MSNA; microneurography), arterial pressure (brachial catheter) and forearm blood flow (plethysmography) in 19 healthy subjects at baseline and during intrabrachial infusions of NA and TYR. Resting MSNA ranged from 6 to 34 bursts min −1 , and was inversely related to vasoconstrictor responsiveness to both NA (r = 0.61, P = 0.01) and TYR (r = 0.52, P = 0.02), such that subjects with lower resting MSNA were more responsive to NA and TYR. We conclude that interindividual variability in vascular adrenergic responsiveness contributes to the balance of factors that maintain normal blood pressure in individuals with differing levels of sympathetic neural activity. Further understanding of this balance may have important implications for our understanding of the pathophysiology of hypertension.

Sokolnicki LA, Roberts SK, Wilkins BW, Basu A, Charkoudian N. Contribution of nitric oxide to cutaneous microvascular dilation in individuals with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab 292: E314 -E318, 2007. First published September 5, 2006; doi:10.1152/ajpendo.00365.2006.-Microvascular pathophysiology associated with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) contributes to several aspects of the morbidity associated with the disease. We quantified the contribution of nitric oxide (NO) to the cutaneous vasodilator response to nonpainful local warming in subjects with T2DM (average duration of diabetes mellitus 7 Ϯ 1 yr) and in age-matched control subjects. We measured skin blood flow in conjunction with intradermal microdialysis of N G -nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME; NO synthase inhibitor) or vehicle during 35 min of local warming to 42°C. Microdialysis of sodium nitroprusside (SNP) was used for assessment of maximum cutaneous vascular conductance (CVC). Resting CVC was higher in T2DM subjects at vehicle sites (T2DM: 19 Ϯ 2 vs. control: 11 Ϯ 3%maxCVC; P Ͻ 0.05); this difference was abolished by L-NAME (T2DM: 10 Ϯ 1 vs. control: 8 Ϯ 1%maxCVC; P Ͼ 0.05). The relative contribution of NO to the vasodilator response to local warming was not different between groups (T2DM: 46 Ϯ 4 vs. control: 44 Ϯ 6%maxCVC; P Ͼ 0.05). However, absolute CVC during local warming was ϳ25% lower in T2DM subjects (T2DM: 1.79 Ϯ 0.15 AU/mmHg; controls: 2.42 Ϯ 0.20 AU/mmHg; P Ͻ 0.01), and absolute CVC during SNP was ϳ20% lower (T2DM: 1.91 Ϯ 0.12 vs. control: 2.38 Ϯ 0.13 AU/ mmHg; P Ͻ 0.01). We conclude that the relative contribution of NO to vasodilation during local warming is similar between subjects with T2DM and control subjects, although T2DM was associated with a lower absolute maximum vasodilation. skin blood flow; vasodilation; local warming; thermoregulation THE PANDEMIC GROWTH of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) has made it increasingly important for clinicians and researchers to understand mechanisms of pathophysiology associated with the disease (19). A well-recognized area of dysfunction involves impaired microvascular control and reduced vasodilator responsiveness (2,10,16,18). For example, forearm vasodilator responses to brachial arterial infusion of endotheliumdependent or -independent vasodilators are diminished in patients with T2DM (18).It is unclear the extent to which vasodilator responsiveness in the cutaneous circulation is impaired in individuals with T2DM. Local application of ACh and nitroprusside in the skin caused less vasodilation [suggesting impaired nitric oxide (NO)-dependent vasodilation] in some groups of diabetic subjects (2), but not in others (16). In some studies, only individuals with T2DM involving significant peripheral neuropathy exhibited diminished cutaneous vasodilation (1, 16), whereas, in others (2, 17), T2DM subjects without signs of neuropathy showed decreased vasodilation in the skin. The diversity in results could reflect the variability inherent in the disease itself, inclu...

Normotensive adults homozygous for glycine (Gly) of the Arg16/Gly beta2-adrenergic-receptor polymorphism have 1) greater forearm beta2-receptor mediated vasodilation and 2) a higher heart rate (HR) response to isometric handgrip than arginine (Arg) homozygotes. To test the hypothesis that the higher HR response in Gly16 subjects serves to maintain the pressor response [increased cardiac output (CO)] in the setting of augmented peripheral vasodilation to endogenous catecholamines, we measured continuous HR (ECG), arterial pressure (Finapres), and CO (transthoracic echocardiography) during isometric, 40% submaximal handgrip to fatigue in healthy subjects homozygous for Gly (n = 30; mean age +/- SE: 30 +/- 1.2, 13 women) and Arg (n = 17, age 30 +/- 1.6, 11 women). Resting data were similar between groups. Handgrip produced similar increases in arterial pressure and venous norepinephrine and epinephrine concentrations; however, HR increased more in the Gly group (60.1 +/- 4.3% increase from baseline vs. 45.5 +/- 3.9%, P = 0.03), and this caused CO to be higher (Gly: 7.6 +/- 0.3 l/m vs. Arg: 6.5 +/- 0.3 l/m, P = 0.03), whereas the decrease in systemic vascular resistance in the Gly group did not reach significance (P = 0.09). We conclude that Gly16 homozygotes generate a higher CO to maintain the pressor response to handgrip. The influence of polymorphic variants in the beta2-adrenergic receptor gene on the cardiovascular response to sympathoexcitation may have important implications in the development of hypertension and heart failure.

Individuals with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) often exhibit microvascular dysfunction that may contribute to impaired thermoregulation, but potential mechanisms remain unclear. Our goals were to quantify skin blood flow responses and nitric oxide-mediated vasodilation during body heating in individuals with T2DM compared with nondiabetic control subjects of similar age. We measured skin blood flow (laser-Doppler flowmetry) in conjunction with intradermal microdialysis of N(G)-nitro-l-arginine methyl ester (l-NAME; nitric oxide synthase inhibitor) or vehicle during 45-60 min of whole body heating (WBH) in 10 individuals with T2DM and 14 control subjects. In six individuals from each group, we also measured forearm blood flow (FBF) by venous occlusion plethysmography on the contralateral forearm. FBF responses showed diminished absolute cutaneous vasodilation during WBH in the T2DM group (P(ANOVA) < 0.01; peak FBF in control 13.1 +/- 1.7 vs. T2DM 9.0 +/- 1.6 ml.100 ml(-1).min(-1)). However, the relative contribution of nitric oxide to the cutaneous vasodilator response (expressed as % of maximal cutaneous vascular conductance) was not different between groups (P > 0.05). We conclude that cutaneous vasodilator responses to WBH are decreased in individuals with T2DM, but the contribution of nitric oxide to this smaller vasodilation is similar between T2DM and control individuals. This decrease in cutaneous vasodilation is likely an important contributor to impaired thermoregulation in T2DM.

Circulating epinephrine plays an important role in skeletal muscle vasodilation during mental stress. Normotensive adults homozygous for glycine (Gly) of the Arg16/Gly beta2-adrenergic receptor polymorphism have a greater forearm beta2-receptor mediated vasodilation and a higher cardiac output response to isometric handgrip than arginine (Arg) homozygotes. To test the hypothesis that the Arg16/Gly beta2-adrenergic receptor polymorphism affects the forearm blood flow (FBF) and hemodynamic response to mental stress, and whether venous catecholamine concentrations predicted these responses, we measured venous epinephrine, norepinephrine, heart rate (HR), arterial pressure (Finapres), and FBF during mental stress in healthy subjects homozygous for Gly16 (n = 30; mean age +/- SE: 30 +/- 1.2, 13 women) and Arg16 (n = 17, age 30 +/- 1.6, 11 women). Resting HR, blood pressure, and FBF responses to mental stress were similar between genotype groups. There were positive correlations between epinephrine and peak FBF (r = 0.694, P < 0.001), peak forearm vascular conductance (r = 0.677, P < 0.001) and the change in epinephrine to the change in HR (r = 0.456, P = 0.002) in all subjects. These correlations were not significantly different in the Gly16 and Arg16 groups. We conclude that venous epinephrine predicts the FBF response to mental stress, and the increase in epinephrine is also correlated with the increase in HR. Furthermore, the Arg16/Gly beta2-receptor polymorphism has no significant influence on the FBF or cardiovascular responses to mental stress.