Autoregulation of blood flow in resting skeletal muscle

¹ Department of Physiology, University of Florida, College of Medicine, Gainesville, Florida; Department of Physiology, The George Washington University, Washington, D. C.; and Laboratory of Cardiovascular Physiology, National Heart Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland

Blood flow through the vascular beds of innervated and acutely denervated gastrocnemius-plantaris and gracilis muscles of dogs was studied following sudden changes of perfusing pressure or blood flow. These skeletal muscles were found to exhibit autoregulation of blood flow. An increase in perfusion pressure or flow is followed by an increase in resistance to blood flow, and a decrease in perfusion pressure or flow is followed by a reduction in resistance to flow. Consequently, blood flow changes relatively little over a wide range of perfusion pressures. The transient and steady state flows related to this phenomenon are analyzed in an attempt to establish the mechanisms involved.