Cardiovascular and respiratory reflexes from muscles during dynamic and static exercise

Abstract

In anesthetized and deafferented rabbits, rhythmic and static contractions of the hindlimb muscles were elicited by stimulating the femoral nerve at 3 and 100 Hz with the intensity of 2.0-2.5 times threshold for the motor fibers. Rhythmic contractions caused a decrease in systemic blood pressure, heart rate, and vascular resistance of the resting hindlimb with hyperpnea. Tetanic contractions caused a rise in arterial pressure, in vascular resistance of the nonexercising hindlimb, and in pulmonary ventilation with small increases in heart rate. These responses were not obtained after sectioning the somatic nerves of the exercised limb or when the cut central end of the femoral nerve or the intact nerve in curarized animals was stimulated with the same intensity of 2.0-2.5 times the motor threshold. Both depressor and pressor responses were, therefore, reflexes initiated in the contracting limbs. Removal of the skin from the exercising limb did not change the typical patterns of response. The most likely source of the observed reflexes is that from receptors activated by metabolites released in the exercising muscles.