Local Temperature Regulation of Microtissue Clearance from Rat Skeletal Muscle

The influence of local temperature changes on the effective blood flow in the rat spinotrapezius muscle was investigated by the extension of the microtissue clearance technique originally used for frog mesentery. The clearance of water blue from microinjection sites in rat skeletal muscle at 37 C. agrees favorab1y with the clearance of other crystalloid labels from gross injection sites in skeletal muscle of mammalian forms. The data show a direct relationship between clearance rates and temperature over a range of 25 to 45 C. The µ value for clearance agrees with the µ value computed from forearm muscle blood flow measurements, at corresponding temperature ranges.