Skip to main content
PMC home page
British Journal of Pharmacology logoLink to British Journal of Pharmacology
. 1971 Dec;43(4):764–775. doi: 10.1111/j.1476-5381.1971.tb07212.x

Preferential secretion of adrenaline or noradrenaline by the cat adrenal in vivo in response to different stimuli

Giora Feuerstein, Yehuda Gutman
PMCID: PMC1665716  PMID: 5152027

Abstract

1. The concentrations of adrenaline and noradrenaline in the adrenal vein and the adrenal gland of the cat were studied in response to different stimuli leading to increased catecholamine (CA) secretion.

2. Haemorrhage and hypoglycaemia, but not acute exposure to cold or intravenous administration of cocaine, induced considerable increases in total catecholamine secretion.

3. The ratio of the concentration of adrenaline to noradrenaline in adrenal vein plasma during the control period was higher than the ratio in the adrenal gland itself.

4. Haemorrhage increased noradrenaline secretion considerably more than adrenaline secretion so that the ratio of the concentration of adrenaline to noradrenaline in adrenal vein plasma was significantly lower than in the adrenal gland itself.

5. Hypoglycaemia induced by insulin increased catecholamine secretion, with the adrenaline to noradrenaline ratio significantly higher than in the adrenal gland itself.

6. Hypothermia resulted in a fall of the initial high ratio of adrenaline to noradrenaline, to a value similar to that in the adrenal gland.

7. Neither cocaine nor changes in adrenal plasma flow affected the adrenaline to noradrenaline ratio in adrenal vein blood.

8. It is concluded that preferential release from the adrenal gland of either adrenaline or noradrenaline is possible in vivo in response to different stimuli.

Full text

PDF
764

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Benedeczky I., Puppi A., Tigyi A., Lissák K. Various cell types in the adrenal medulla. Nature. 1966 Feb 5;209(5023):592–594. doi: 10.1038/209592a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Chang C. C., Chiueh C. C. Increased uptake of noradrenaline in the rat submaxillary gland during sympathetic nerve stimulation. J Pharm Pharmacol. 1968 Feb;20(2):157–159. doi: 10.1111/j.2042-7158.1968.tb09711.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Chang W. W., Bencosme S. A. Selective staining of secretory granules of adrenal medullary cells by silver methenamine: a light and electron microscopic study. Can J Physiol Pharmacol. 1968 Sep;46(5):745–747. doi: 10.1139/y68-116. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. FOLKOW B., VON EULER U. S. Selective activation of noradrenaline and adrenaline producing cells in the cat's adrenal gland by hypothalamic stimulation. Circ Res. 1954 May;2(3):191–195. doi: 10.1161/01.res.2.3.191. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Fischer J. E., Snyder S. Disposition of norepinephrine-H3 in sympathetic ganglia. J Pharmacol Exp Ther. 1965 Nov;150(2):190–195. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. HAEFELY W., HUERLIMANN A., THOENEN H. A QUANTITATIVE STUDY OF THE EFFECT OF COCAINE ON THE RESPONSE OF THE CAT NICTITATING MEMBRANE TO NERVE STIMULATION AND TO INJECTED NORADRENALINE. Br J Pharmacol Chemother. 1964 Feb;22:5–21. doi: 10.1111/j.1476-5381.1964.tb01539.x. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. HERTTING G., AXELROD J. Fate of tritiated noradrenaline at the sympathetic nerve-endings. Nature. 1961 Oct 14;192:172–173. doi: 10.1038/192172a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Häggendal J., Malmfors T. The effect of nerve stimulation on the uptake of noradrenaline into the adrenergic nerve terminals. Acta Physiol Scand. 1969 Jan-Feb;75(1):28–32. doi: 10.1111/j.1748-1716.1969.tb04351.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. KAHANE Z., VESTERGAARD P. AN IMPROVED METHOD FOR MEASUREMENT OF FREE EPINEPHRINE AND NOREPINEPHRINE WITH A PHOSPHATE-METAPHOSPHATE BUFFER IN THE TRIHYDROXYINDOLE PROCEDURE. J Lab Clin Med. 1965 May;65:848–858. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. KIRPEKAR S. M., CERVONI P. EFFECT OF COCAINE, PHENOXYBENZAMINE AND PHENTOLAMINE ON THE CATECHOLAMINE OUTPUT FROM SPLEEN AND ADRENAL MEDULLA. J Pharmacol Exp Ther. 1963 Oct;142:59–70. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. LUND A. Release of adrenaline and noradrenaline from the suprarenal gland. Acta Pharmacol Toxicol (Copenh) 1951;7(4):309–320. doi: 10.1111/j.1600-0773.1951.tb02872.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. MALMEJAC J. ACTIVITY OF THE ADRENAL MEDULLA AND ITS REGULATION. Physiol Rev. 1964 Apr;44:186–218. doi: 10.1152/physrev.1964.44.2.186. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. MIRKIN B. L. Factors influencing the selective secretion of adrenal medullary hormones. J Pharmacol Exp Ther. 1961 May;132:218–225. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Oka M., Ohuchi T., Yoshida H., Imaizumi R. Selective release of noradrenaline and adrenaline from isolated adrenal medullary granules. Life Sci. 1966 Mar;5(5):433–438. doi: 10.1016/0024-3205(66)90158-5. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Palaic D., Panisset J. C. Inhibition of the noradrenaline uptake in guinea-pig vas deferens by continuous nerve stimulation. J Pharm Pharmacol. 1969 May;21(5):328–329. doi: 10.1111/j.2042-7158.1969.tb08261.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Paton D. M., Gillis C. N. Effect of altered perfusion rates on the retention of noradrenaline by the spleen. Nature. 1965 Oct 23;208(5008):391–392. doi: 10.1038/208391a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Rubin R. P., Miele E. A study of the differential secretion of epinephrine and norepinephrine from the perfused cat adrenal gland. J Pharmacol Exp Ther. 1968 Nov;164(1):115–121. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Staszewska-Barczak J., Vane J. R. The release of catecholamines from the adrenal medulla by peptides. Br J Pharmacol Chemother. 1967 Aug;30(3):655–667. doi: 10.1111/j.1476-5381.1967.tb02172.x. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. VOGT M. RELEASE OF MEDULLARY AMINES FROM THE ISOLATED PERFUSED ADRENAL GLAND OF THE DOG. Br J Pharmacol Chemother. 1965 Apr;24:561–565. doi: 10.1111/j.1476-5381.1965.tb01746.x. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. WEST G. B. The comparative pharmacology of the suprarenal medulla. Q Rev Biol. 1955 Jun;30(2):116–137. doi: 10.1086/400758. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. WHITBY L. G., AXELROD J., WEIL-MALHERBE H. The fate of H3-norepinephrine in animals. J Pharmacol Exp Ther. 1961 May;132:193–201. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. Wurtman R. J., Casper A., Pohorecky L. A., Bartter F. C. Impaired secretion of epinephrine in response to insulin among hypophysectomized dogs. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1968 Oct;61(2):522–528. doi: 10.1073/pnas.61.2.522. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  23. YATES R. D., WOOD J. G., DUNCAN D. Phase and electron microscopic observations on two cell types in the adrenal medulla of the Syrian hamster. Tex Rep Biol Med. 1962;20:494–502. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from British Journal of Pharmacology are provided here courtesy of The British Pharmacological Society

RESOURCES