Consumption of oxygen by thoracic and abdominal aorta of the rat

¹ Department of Pathology, University of Washington School of Medicine, and Seattle Veterans Administration Hospital, Seattle, Washington

Consumption of oxygen in vitro by thoracic and abdominal aorta and of liver and kidney of rats was measured by direct Warburg manometry and related to the weight of tissue and to the content of nitrogen and of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA). On the basis of numbers of cells present, as determined by the content of DNA, thoracic aorta respires at a rate one-fifth that of liver. Thoracic aorta respires more actively than abdominal aorta but also contains more nitrogen and more DNA per unit weight than abdominal aorta. The difference in consumption of oxygen between these two segments of aorta can be explained largely, although not entirely, on the basis of numbers of cells present. Because of the lesser content of nitrogen and DNA in abdominal aorta, it must contain larger amounts of some substance which contributes to weight and has a low nitrogen content.

Key Words: aortic respiration • vascular metabolism • vascular composition

Submitted on April 8, 1963