Habitual cigarette smoking attenuates shear ‐mediated dilation in the brachial artery but not in the carotid artery in young adults

Peripheral FMD was lower in young healthy smokers than that in nonsmokers, indicating that habitual smoking attenuates peripheral endothelial function. In contrast, cerebral endothelial function was preserved in young healthy smokers. These findings suggest that the response of cerebral endothelial function to smoking is different from that of peripheral vasculature. AbstractIn the present study, we hypothesized that habitual cigarette smoking attenuates endothelial function in the cerebral circulation as well as that of the peripheral circulation in young adults. To test this hypothesis, we measured cerebrovascular and peripheral flow ‐mediated dilation (FMD) in young smokers and nonsmokers in the present study. Ten healthy nonsmokers and 10 smokers participated in the study. We measured blood velocity and diameter in the brachial artery and internal carotid artery (ICA) using Doppler ultrasound. We identified shear‐mediated dilation in the brachial artery and ICA by the percentage change in peak diameter during hyperemia stimulation (reactive hyperemia and hypercapnia). We measured the baseline diameter and the shear rate area under the curve from the onset of hyperemia to peak dilation in the brachial artery and ICA, finding the measurements of the smokers and those of the nonsmokers did not differ (p >  .05). In contrast to brachial FMD (5.07 ± 1.79% vs. 7.92 ± 3.01%; smokers vs. nonsmokers,p = .019), FMD in the ICA was not attenuated in the smokers compa...
Source: Physiological Reports - Category: Physiology Authors: Tags: ORIGINAL RESEARCH Source Type: research