The change in peripheral sweating mechanisms of the tropical Malaysian who stays in Japan

Abstract

Tropical subjects regulate core temperature with less amount of sweat against heat compared to temperate subjects through long-term heat-acclimatization. The purpose of the study is to determine whether acclimatization in tropical subjects decay during a stay in temperate area. The aim of this study, therefore, was to investigate the possible changes in the peripheral sweating mechanisms. Local sweating response activated by acetylcholine (ACh) applied iontophoretically among Malaysians with varying duration of stay in Japan and Japanese resident subjects. Directly activated (DIR) and axon reflex (AXR)-mediated sweating during ACh iontophoresis were measured by capacitance hygrometer (quantitative sudomotor axon reflex test, QSART) QSART was performed in a thermoneutral condition (24±0.5 °C, 40±3% rh). The sweat onset-time after the current loading was 1.05 min shorter in Malaysian with long-term stay in Japan (MLJ) than in Malaysian, and the AXR(1), AXR(2) and DIR sweating in MLJ were larger than Malaysian. From these results, suppressed neuroglandular response to ACh was confirmed in Malaysians. It is suggested that long-term heat-acclimatization acquired in tropical subjects may decay after immigration to temperate area.