Effect of hypoxia on percent of arteriolar and capillary beds perfused in the rat

HARVEY R. WEISS. Effect of hypoxia on percent of arteriolar and capillary beds perfused in the rut brain. J. Appl. Physiol. 60(l): 280-288, 1986.-The effects of moderate and severe hypoxia on quantitative regional morphometric indexes of the total and perfused arteriolar and capillary network were studied in the rat brain to determine whether diffusion distances were reduced in hypoxia. Fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC)-labeled dextran was injected into the femoral vein of conscious control and hypoxic rats. After 20 s, the animal was decapitated and the head was frozen in liquid N2. Sections from eight brain regions were photographed to detect the perfused microvessels and then stained for alkaline phosphatase to visualize the total vascular network. There were significant increases in percent perfused arteriolar and capillary morphology between the two groups of hypoxic animals and control animals. In control rats