Metabo- and mechanoreceptor expression in human heart failure: Relationships with the locomotor muscle afferent influence on exercise responses.

New Findings: What is the central question of this study? How do locomotor muscle metabo- and mechanoreceptor expression compare in heart failure patients and controls? Do relationships exist between the protein expression and cardiopulmonary responses during exercise with locomotor muscle neural afferent feedback inhibition? What is the main finding and its importance? Heart failure patients exhibited greater protein expression of transient receptor potential vanilloid type 1 and cyclooxygenase-2 than controls. These findings are important as they identify receptors that may underlie the augmented locomotor muscle neural afferent feedback in heart failure.

Abstract: Heart failure patients with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) exhibit abnormal locomotor group III/IV afferent feedback during exercise; however, the underlying mechanisms are unclear.

Influence of Sex, Menstrual Cycle, and Menopause Status on the Exercise Pressor Reflex.

In this review, we highlight the underlying mechanisms responsible for the sex differences in the exercise pressor reflex (EPR), and, importantly, the impact of sex hormones and menopausal status. The EPR is attenuated in premenopausal women compared with age-matched men. Specifically, activation of the metaboreflex (a component of the EPR) results in attenuated increases in blood pressure and sympathetic vasomotor outflow compared with age-matched men.