Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: In the present issue of Experimental Physiology, the paper by Degens et al. (2025) provides important insight into our understanding of the structure-function relationship of the capillary network around skeletal muscle fibres and contributes to a scientific debate that has spanned more than a century (Clark et al., 2008;Poole et al., 2008).Although all organs, from brain to liver, change their metabolism in close relationship with functional activity, skeletal muscle is remarkable because the transition from rest to full contractile activity might require an increase of ATP regeneration rate of >100-fold.This would imply a proportional increase in muscle blood flow to facilitate gaseous exchange, lactate clearance and nutrient delivery to the contracting fibres (Andersen & Saltin, 1985).There is no doubt that, at the organ level, this increase in muscle blood flow is facilitated by strong arteriolar vasodilatation and a reduction in resistance, but less clear is the counterpart at the level of the microcirculation.The most widespread models of control of the microcirculation over the past century were based upon the Nobel prizewinning August Krogh's 'capillary motor' hypothesis (Krogh, 1919).Krogh's work postulated that most capillaries along muscle fibres are closed at rest but open to enhance red blood cell flux during contraction.Precapillary sphincters, termed Rouget cells (now known as pericytes), are responsible for opening and closing the access to capillaries.However, the last two decades have witnessed a large change in our understanding of the function of the microcirculation in skeletal
Source: Experimental Physiology
DOI: 10.1113/ep092911
Authors: Christopher S. Fry, Carlo Reggiani
Language: English
Subfield: Complementary and alternative medicine
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $2,940
OpenAlex ID: W4411125355