Microcirculation in skeletal muscle.

The role of microcirculation in skeletal muscle is to provide the supply of oxygen and various nutrients and to remove waste products of muscle metabolism. As skeletal muscles are composed of different fibre types, this review tries to elucidate the question of capillary supply and flow with respect to these. It reviews the current knowledge of structure of microcirculation and its nervous, hormonal, and local (myogenic, metabolic and endothelial) control. It also discuss factors involved in the increase in blood flow and changes in microcirculation occurring during muscle contractions, exercise training, muscle hypertrophy and atrophy, hypoxia, ageing, hypertension, diabetes and limited blood supply.