Assessing structural and functional response of murine vasculature to acute β-adrenergic stimulation in vivo during hypothermic and hyperthermic conditions

Abstract

Background: Because of the importance of adrenoreceptors in regulating the cardiovascular (CV) system and the role of the CV system in thermoregulation, understanding the response to these two stressors is of interest. The purpose of this study was to assess changes of arterial geometry and function in vivo during thermal and β-adrenergic stress induced in mice and quantified by MRI. Methods: Male mice were anesthetized and imaged at 7 T. Anatomical and functional data were acquired from the neck (carotid artery), torso (suprarenal and infrarenal aorta and iliac artery) and periphery (femoral artery). Intravenous dobutamine (tail vein catheter, 40 µg/kg/min, 0.12 mL/h) was used as β-adrenergic stressor. Baseline and dobutamine data were acquired at minimally hypothermic (35 °C) and minimally hyperthermic (38 °C) core temperatures. Cross-sectional vessel area and maximum cyclic strain were measured across the cardiac cycle. Results: Vascular response varied by location and by core temperature. For minimally hypothermic conditions (35 °C), average, maximum and minimum areas decreased with dobutamine only at the suprarenal aorta (avg: −17.9%, max: −13.5%, min: −21.4%). For minimally hyperthermic conditions (38 °C), vessel areas decreased between baseline and dobutamine at the carotid (avg: −19.6%, max: −15.5%, min: −19.3%) and suprarenal aorta (avg: −24.2%, max: −17.4%, min: −17.3%); whereas, only the minimum vessel area decreased for the iliac artery (min: −14.4%). Maximum cyclic strain increased between baseline and dobutamine at the iliac artery for both conditions and at the suprarenal aorta at hyperthermic conditions. Conclusions: At hypothermic conditions, the vessel area response to dobutamine is diminished compared to hyperthermic conditions where the vessel area response mimics normothermic dobutamine conditions. The varied response emphasizes the need to monitor and control body temperature during medical conditions or treatments that may be accompanied by hypothermia, especially when vasoactive agents are used.