Body temperature control of rat tail blood flow.

Tail blood flow (BF) and heat flow (HF) were measured in five albino rats during transients in rectal temperature (Tre) caused by body heating at rest. During heating, tail temperature (Tt) was kept at 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, or 42 degrees C by enclosing the tail in a water-perfused tube. Thermal conductance (K) was computed as HF/(Tre-Tt). BF was measured by venous occlusion plethysmography. Heating caused a rise in Tre that was accompanied by proportional increases in both K and BF. The ratio R = K/BF represents conductance per unit BF and reflects the amount of heat exchange for a given BF. R can thus be used to estimate the distribution of BF within the tail. R was independent of Tre at all Tt, indicating that BF distribution is controlled by the tail. R was low at low Tt and rose at higher Tt. This suggests that at low Tt, blood flows primarily in central veins of the tail and at higher Tt blood flows in peripheral tail veins.