Blood Vessel Tension Tester

Investigators are studying how vascular smooth muscle, muscle in walls of blood vessels, reacts to various stimulants, such as coffee, tea, alcohol, and drugs. Langley developed a miniaturized system whose key components are a micropositioner" for stretching a length of blood vessel and a strain gage for measuring smooth muscle tension developed. Micropositioner is two-pronged holder. Loop of blood vessel is hooked over prongs and stretched by increasing distance between prongs in minute increments fractions of a millimeter. At each increase tension developed is carefully measured. In some cases holder and specimen are lowered into the test tubes which contain a saline solution simulating body fluid. Effect of compound on developed tension is then measured."

Full article: http://hdl.handle.net/hdl:2060/20070018914