Effects of hypoxic stress on medullary arteries of suprarenal glands

Introduction It is known that suprarenal glands consist of two parts: cortex and medulla. Functional properties of circulation in these two parts are still unknown. This is a very important problem, but only a few studies have dealt with it, whereas full attention should be paid to the problem in future researches. Material and methods The experiment included 100 sexually experienced male rats which were exposed to hypoxia in testing chambers imitating conditions at 7000 m above sea level. In order to study blood vessels, we used a mixture of Indian ink and 10% solution of gelatin and injected it into the left heart ventricle. Results and discussion The most outstanding finding pointed to existence of wide ischemic areas in the outer portion of zona fasciculata, along with simultaneous strong dilatation and increased number of medullary arteries. Therefore, a conclusion can be made that the number of opened medullary arteries in the suprarenal gland depends on functional conditions and needs of the organism. The method used to present our results showed that vascular network of the suprarenal glands changed dynamically under experimental conditions. Conclusion The obtained results point to functional accommodation of vascular network of suprarenal glands affected by stress, whereas medullary arteries are of predominantly functional character.