1942 Volume 44 Issue 1-2 Pages 95-112
What a part is played in the organism of dogs in the nicotine in-toxication by the hypersecretion of epinephrine from the suprarelials taking place in that condition was tested in the present researches. The pattern of the adrenaline hydrochloride solution for imitating the natural output of epinephrine in the nicotine poisoning in animals; which are otherwise in the normal state, was the average of the figures obtained from the dogs, the output rate of which was determined in the conditions as physiological as possible and poisoned by an intra venous application of nicotine in the dose of 1mg. per kilo.
Now some normal dogs were poisoned with that amount of nicotine, intravenously given in a short interval as in the previous investigations, utlized as the control. The arterial blood pressure was recorded by a mercury manometer, and the blood sugar was also determined from time to time. The dogs were never fastened, never narcotized.
The same manipulations were done in some dogs, with the demedullat-ed suprarenals, otherwise wholly healthy. In the dogs so operated on, adrenaline hydrochloride solution was intravenously infused in the principle above given. Finally such dogs were given nicotine and ad-renaline hydrochloride together.
The deprivation of the suprarenal medulla evokes some definite modification in the blood pressure curve and blood sugar fluctuation causable by the nicotine. Namely, the magnitude of hypertension is redendered a little smaller and especially the former half of the des-cending limb decidedly steeper by the demedullation of the glands. The magnitude of hyperglycemia, that is the maximum content and the duration of the hyperglycemia are cut short evidently by the deme-dullation.
And the infusion of adrenaline hydrochloride solution in the man-ner just the same as that rate of epinephrine output during the nicotine intoxication just compensates these shortenings brought about by the depriviation of the epinephrine secretion from the suprarenals. The rôle of the augmented secretion of epinephrine in the nicotine intoxica-tion in causing the hyertension and hyperglycemia as well is thus first made clear.
Further it is beyond doubt-this is also of high interest in delving the rôle of the epinephrine liberation-that the part played by the epinephrine secretion in bringing about the alterations-is distinctly dissimilar according to each; that is, the epinephrine secretion plays a rather smaller share in -causing the hypertension than other factors while a rather greater, or like share is played by it in the case of the hyperglycemia.
