Effects of short-term heat acclimation on whole-body heat exchange and local nitric oxide synthase- and cyclooxygenase-dependent heat loss responses in exercising older men.

Ageing is associated with decrements in whole-body heat loss (evaporative + dry heat exchange), which might stem from alterations in nitric oxide synthase (NOS)- and cyclooxygenase (COX)-dependent cutaneous vasodilatation and sweating. We evaluated whether short-term heat acclimation would (i) enhance whole-body heat loss primarily by increasing evaporative heat loss, and (ii) augment NOS-dependent cutaneous vasodilatation and NOS- and COX-dependent sweating, in exercising older men. Eight older men [mean (SD) age, 59 (8) years] completed a calorimetry and microdialysis trial before and after 7 days of exercise-heat acclimation. For the calorimetry trials, whole-body evaporative and dry heat exchange were assessed using direct calorimetry during 30 min bouts of cycling at light, moderate and vigorous metabolic heat productions (150, 200 and 250 W/m2 , respectively) in dry heat (40°C, 20% relative humidity). For the microdialysis trials, local cutaneous vascular conductance and sweat rate were assessed during 60 min exercise in the heat (35°C, 20% relative humidity) at four dorsal forearm skin sites treated with lactated Ringer solution (control), NOS inhibitor, COX inhibitor or combined NOS and COX inhibitors, via microdialysis. Evaporative heat loss during moderate (P = 0.036) and vigorous (P = 0.021) exercise increased after acclimation. Inhibition of NOS alone reduced cutaneous vascular conductance to a similar extent before and after acclimation (P < 0.040), whereas separate and combined NOS and COX inhibition had no significant effects on sweating relative to the control site (P = 0.745). Our preliminary results might suggest that short-term heat acclimation improves evaporative heat loss, but does not significantly modulate the contributions of NOS or COX to cutaneous vasodilatation or sweating on the forearm in older men during an exercise-heat stress.