Abstract
The therapeutic effects of carbon dioxide (CO2) on cutaneous tissue blood flow in the human have long been well recognized. Although CO2 has vasodilator action, in-vivo evidence of its action on the microcirculation of the skin, and of its mechanism, has rarely been reported. We studied the direct effects of CO2 on in-vivo microvasculature and blood flow rate by using an intra-vital video-microscopic system. Brown Norway rats were anesthetized by intraperitoneal administration of alpha-chloralose and urethane. In order to measure inner diameter and red blood cell velocity (Vrbc) for a microvessel, the dorsal skin window was draped on an observation box placed inside a bath. Vrbc was derived from the cross-correlation function of paired segments of dual-window intensity in the video of microvascular images of the subcutaneous tissue. We measured pH in subcutaneous tissue by making a dorsal skin tube. After topical application of CO2 dissolved in water via the skin of the rat, we observed both vasodilatation and an increase in blood flow of the micro vessels. The pH of subcutaneous tissue also decreased after CO2 application. The CO2 reduced the pH of subcutaneous tissue and inhibited vascular smooth muscle contraction, resulting in dilatation of the vasculature of the skin microcirculation.
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Minamiyama, M., Yamamoto, A. Direct evidence of the vasodilator action of carbon dioxide on subcutaneous microvasculature in rats by use of intra-vital video-microscopy. J Biorheol 24, 42–46 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12573-010-0023-y
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12573-010-0023-y