Sensitivity to noradrenaline and electrical stimulation decreases with age in the rat tail artery

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Abstract
We have studied vasoconstrictor responses to noradrenaline and electrical field stimulation in the isolated perfused/superfused tail arteries of rats of 6–7, 16–17 and 30–31 months of age. Maximal vasoconstrictor responses to noradrenaline were the same at all three ages. Sensitivity to noradrenaline and to electrical stimulation were reduced in the 16–17 and 30–31 month old rats. The noradrenaline content of the arteries of the two latter age groups was reduced. We conclude that ageing in this resistance vessel is accompanied by a decrease in the arterial noradrenaline content and in the sensitivity of the artery to noradrenaline.