ABSTRACT
This chapter presents an analysis of the interaction between intestinal blood flow autoregulation and simultaneous α-adrenoreceptor activation. The overall regulation of the intestinal circulation is the product of several interacting control systems. An obvious characteristic of the intestinal circulation is its remarkable anatomical and functional diversity. The intestinal circulation provides a unique example of the interplay between nervous vasoregulation and local mechanisms of blood flow regulation in a phenomenon known as “autoregulatory escape.” The phenomenon of autoregulatory escape attests to the fact that neural mechanisms in the intestine operate in the presence of powerful local vasoregulatory mechanisms. Autonomic nervous control of the intestine can be subdivided into three components consisting of the sympathetic, parasympathetic, and enteric nervous systems. The vasoactive intestinal peptide-containing neurons of the enteric nervous system have been described in association with the small arterioles within the intestine and have been suggested as potential mediators controlling the intramural distribution of blood flow.
