Histamine and anaphylaxis on adrenal medullary secretion in dogs

¹ Department of Physiology, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas

The adrenal medullary secretion of catecholamines was followed for a variable period of time in dogs after the intravenous injection of histamine or the production of anaphylaxis. The adrenal vein was cannulated and the adrenal blood, which was collected at intervals, was assayed for catecholamines by the method of von Euler and Floding. The course of the adrenal medullary secretion, after the injection of histamine, was also studied in a series of cross circulation experiments. The results indicate that histamine and anaphylaxis increased the output of epinephrine and norepinephrine 4–60 times the control output. The maximum output was always found in the first adrenal blood sample collected after histamine injection or production of anaphylaxis. The period of augmented secretion lasted 15 minutes or longer depending on the dose of histamine or the severity of the anaphylactic response. The return of the catecholamine output to control levels closely paralleled the recovery of the mean arterial blood pressure. The quantity of the catecholamines released could be expected to produce marked physiological effects.