Effect of reflex and mechanical decreases in skin blood flow on exogenous cholinergic‐induced eccrine sweating in humans

Abstract

Human skin blood flow (SkBF) and sweating increase concurrently during increases in skin sympathetic nerve activity and subsequent neurotransmitter release to these cutaneous appendages. Previous studies have blocked sweating without affecting SkBF with the use of the muscarinic agonist atropine, but few have altered SkBF without affecting sweating because standard methods such as introducing an α‐adrenergic agonist decrease SkBF but also can engage eccrine sweat gland receptors. Thus, this study aimed to utilize non‐adrenergic mechanical perturbations to decrease SkBF during intradermal perfusion of a cholinergic agonist. Three intradermal microdialysis fibers were placed in dorsal forearm skin of 4 women and 3 men (age 24±1 yr, height 173±4 cm, weight 80±8 kg) to perfuse 2 doses of pilocarpine nitrate (0.01 and 1.66 mg/ml, corresponding to the ED50 and EMAX from previous dose‐response modeling) or the vehicle (lactated Ringer's). Forearm SkBF (laser‐Doppler flowmetry) was decreased for 3 min by engaging the venoarteriolar response (arm lowered ~30 cm from heart level; CVAR), venoarteriolar response plus decreased perfusion pressure (venous occlusion by proximal cuff inflation; CVAR with ΔPP), and ischemia (arterial occlusion by proximal cuff inflation); sweat rate was measured by perfusing anhydrous medical air through a ventilated capsule (capacitance hygrometry). Drug infusions significantly increased SkBF (+87±18 and +57±16 units) and sweating (+0.37±0.20 and +0.64±0.15 mg/ml/min, for pilocarpine ED50 and EMAX, respectively) compared to vehicle control in which SkBF minimally increased (+8±4 units) and there was no alteration in sweating (−0.02±0.09). Decreased SkBF was observed with CVAR (−26±14, −33±9, and −38±9%), CVAR with ΔPP (−62±7, −42±20 and −61±8%), and ischemia (−99±1, −92±5 and −93±2% for pilocarpine ED50, pilocarpine EMAX, and vehicle control, respectively). Despite these significant decreases in SkBF, changes in eccrine sweat rate were minimal (CVAR = −1±12, +3±3, and −2±5%; CVAR with ΔPP = +3±7, −2±4, and −3±4%; and ischemia = +5±10, +5±5, and +6±5% for pilocarpine ED50, pilocarpine EMAX, and vehicle control, respectively). These data suggest that very acute decreases in SkBF do not proportionally decrease cholinergic‐induced sweating in human forearm skin.This abstract is from the Experimental Biology 2018 Meeting. There is no full text article associated with this abstract published in The FASEB Journal.