Effect Of Adaptation Duration To Environmental Conditions Of The North On Morphofunctional Restructuring Of Capillary Blood Flow

Abstract

Background — We studied blood microcirculation and features of capillary morphology in young men with various duration of adaptation to the environmental conditions of Northeast Russia (Magadan Oblast). Methods — We examined 211 young men 17-21 years of age who were permanent residents of the North. All study subjects were divided among four groups: Caucasian migrants from central Russia (generation 0) and those born and residing in the North, representing generations 1, 2, and 3. We investigated capillary structure and microcirculation in the eponychium of the nail bed, using a computer-based video capillaroscope, Capillaroscan-1. Results — We detected the diameter reduction in arterial and intermediate capillary segments with simultaneous absence of a similar pattern in the venous capillary segment along the gradient of generation 0 towards generation 3. We also observed a shorter mean capillary length against the background of a thicker capillary network. Conclusion — With a longer adaptation period to the environmental conditions of Northeast Russia, compensatory adaptive mechanisms in the capillary network structure and microcirculation are formed, aimed at optimizing capillary blood flow.