Whole body and muscle respiratory capacity with dobutamine and hindlimb suspension.

The effects of repeated injections of dobutamine, a synthetic catecholamine, were studied in control and tail-suspended rats to determine whether this drug could improve the metabolic response to unweighting. Dobutamine prevented the decrease in maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max) induced by hindlimb suspension. Furthermore, VO2max was 12% greater in dobutamine-treated animals than in saline-treated control animals.

Rat soleus muscle ultrastructure after hindlimb suspension.

The aim of the present investigation was to determine, by quantitative electron microscopy, the effects of a 5-wk tail-suspension period on rat soleus muscle ultrastructure. A marked decline (-60%) in muscle mass occurred. The mean fiber cross-sectional area decreased to a greater extent (-75%) than the capillary-to-fiber ratio (-37%), leading to a higher capillary density (+148%) after hypokinesia.