Abstract
Extract: Development of the constrictor response of the ductus arteriosus to O2 and selected vasoactive drugs (acetylcholine and bradykinin) was studied in 20 fetal lambs weighing 680–4800 g (90− to 150-day gestation). The isolated ductus arteriosus was perfused in vitro with Tyrode's solution at constant flow, temperature (38°), pH (7.3–7.4), and (30–40 mm Hg), and the mean pressure difference across the ductus was measured. Ductal resistance was calculated at different levels of (10–700 mm Hg), raised stepwise to produce dose-response curves. Three young fetuses failed to respond initially to O2 and in the other 17 the initial response occurred at progressively lower levels with advancing gestation. The maximal degree of constriction developed showed a progressive increase with advancing gestational age.
At any given , both acetylcholine and bradykinin produced a further increase in resistance when added to the perfusion solution, but this further increase was independent of age. The level of at which an initial response occurred was decreased after exposure to acetylcholine but not bradykinin.
Speculation: The ductus arteriosus of the fetal lamb constricts when exposed to oxygen. The initial level of at which this constriction occurs decreases, and the maximal degree of constriction increases, with advancing gestational age. The poor response to oxygen of the ductus arteriosus in the immature fetus may be the mechanism responsible for the high incidence of patent ductus arteriosus in premature infants. Constriction following-oxygen may be augmented by the exposure to acetylcholine or bradykinin.
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Mcmurphy, D., Heymann, M., Rudolph, A. et al. Developmental Changes in Constriction of the Ductus Arteriosus: Responses to Oxygen and Vasoactive Agents in the Isolated Ductus Arteriosus of the Fetal Lamb. Pediatr Res 6, 231–238 (1972). https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-197204000-00004
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-197204000-00004