The impact of cardiopulmonary fitness ( _V O2max)
on the age-related decline in skin-microvessel vasodilator
function has not been fully established and the inter-relationships
among different measures of microvascular vasodilator
function are unknown. We used laser Doppler
flowmetry to assess relative changes in forearm skin blood
flow to various stimuli in three groups of adults: young
(n = 15; 27 ± 2 years), older sedentary (n = 14; 65 ±
6 years) and older fit (n = 15; 61 ± 5 years). Local-heating
induced and post-occlusive hyperaemia responses were
higher in the young and older fit groups compared to the older
sedentary group (P\0.05) and were moderately correlated
with _V O2max in the pooled cohort of older adults (r = 0.49–
0.58; P\0.05). Peak hyperaemia responses to acetylcholine
and sodium nitroprusside were higher in young
compared to older sedentary adults (P\0.05) and were not
associated with V O2max in older adults (P[0.05). Associations among different measures of microvascular vasodilator function were generally moderate at best. In summary, the local heating and reactive hyperaemia data indicate that the age-related decline in skin-microvessel vasodilator function can be ameliorated through regular aerobic exercise training.
As this is not supported by the iontophoresis data,
we recommend that, when assessing microvascular function,
the use of a single physiological or pharmacological stimulation coupled to laser Doppler flowmetry should be avoided.
Finally, the moderate correlations between outcomes probably
reflect the distinct mediators that are responsible for the
vasodilator response to each test
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