Biochemical Response to Trauma

III. Epinephrine and Norepinephrine Levels in Plasma of Rats Subjected to Tumbling Trauma

¹ From the Department of Biochemistry, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Washington, D. C.

The effect of tumbling trauma on the concentration of epinephrine and norepinephrine in the plasma of rats has been followed using the fluorimetric method of Weil-Malherbe and Bone for the analysis of the catechol amines. Sprague-Dawley rats weighing 250 gm were used. The animals were tumbled for 300, 400, 500, 600, 700 turns giving a 24-hour mortality ranging from 0–100%. The epinephrine levels immediately after the tumbling were increased 2–5 times while the norepinephrine concentrations increased 5–10 times. When followed in time after tumbling, the epinephrine remained elevated for 1–2 hours and returned to normal within 4–8 hours, while the norepinephrine began to fall within 1 hour and had returned to normal within 4–8 hours. Although changed excretion is ruled out, the actual role of secretion and biotransformation cannot be ascertained.