Why the study?
Does aging alter capillary geometry and hemodynamics in rat spinotrapezius muscle?
Population
Fischer 344 x Brown Norway hybrid rats, young (6-8 mo, n=6) and old (26-28 mo, n=6)
Comparison
Aging (26-28 months old) vs Young rats (6-8 months old)
Design
Preclinical
Authors
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May impair O2 diffusion during exercise in aged muscle; hypothesis-generating for human microvascular aging.
Does aging alter capillary geometry and hemodynamics in rat spinotrapezius muscle?
Aging decreases the lineal density of RBC-perfused capillaries in resting rat spinotrapezius muscle but increases RBC velocity and flux, which may impair diffusive O2 transport during exercise.
Russell et al. (2003) studied this question.
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