Sympathetic nonnoradrenergic cutaneous vasoconstriction in women is associated with reproductive hormone status

Abstract

We tested whether a nonnoradrenergic component of reflex vasoconstriction of skin blood flow (SkBF) is sensitive to female reproductive hormones. Six women taking oral contraceptives underwent whole-body cooling during high-hormone (HH) and low-hormone (LH) phases of oral contraceptive use. SkBF was monitored by laser Doppler flowmetry (LDF) at sites treated by intradermal injection of yohimbine-propranolol (5 mM and 1 mM; YOPR) to block the effects of norepinephrine (NE) or at saline (Sal) control sites. Mean arterial pressure (MAP) was measured with the use of the Penaz method. Cutaneous vascular conductance (CVC = LDF/mean arterial pressure) was expressed as a percentage of baseline. Whole body skin temperature was decreased from 34 to 31 degrees C in HH and LH. In both HH and LH, CVC at Sal-treated sites was reduced during cooling (CVC = 53.1 +/- 8.6% and 54.4 +/- 4.2%, both P < 0.05). In HH, CVC at YOPR sites was reduced during cooling (78.8 +/- 3.6%, P < 0.05). In contrast, CVC at YOPR sites was not reduced significantly during cooling in LH (CVC = 95.9 +/- 2.8%, P > 0.05). Across phases, CVC at YOPR sites during cooling was significantly different (P < 0.05). After cooling, the effects of NE at YOPR sites were completely blocked. These data indicate that a nonnoradrenergic mechanism of reflex cutaneous vasoconstriction is present in women and is associated with reproductive hormone status.

Alteration of skin laser-Doppler flux response to local cooling in gestational hypertension

“…As shown in our previous study, the cutaneous LD flux response to local cooling is importantly influenced by hormonal status even in non-pregnant women [26]. In the present study we found significantly diminished relative LD flux decrease during direct cooling in non-hypertensive pregnant females compared to non-pregnant females.…”

“…After women have reached puberty, their cardiovascular system becomes subjected to a cyclic menstrual variation that involves hormonal status, autonomic nervous system activity, and peripheral vascular reactivity [6,20,26].…”

Effect of age on cutaneous vasoconstrictor responses to norepinephrine in humans

“…Cutaneous vasoconstrictor responses are mediated directly via norepinephrine but also by coreleased neuromodulators (26,27). Recently, Stephens et al (28) have identified that up to 40% of the cutaneous vasoconstrictor response may be mediated via neuropeptide Y in young subjects during cold stress.…”

The contribution of sensory nerves to cutaneous vasodilatation of the forearm and leg to local skin heating

“…Additionally, the participants were instructed not to eat for 1 h prior to the testing session, but were encouraged to drink water ad libitum. Female participants were all using oral contraceptives and were currently in the lowhormone phase of their routine as verified through selfreport (Charkoudian 2001;Stephens et al 2002). Additionally, recent work has demonstrated no sex differences in the thermal hyperaemia response to local skin heating (Stanhewicz et al 2014).…”