Cardiovascular function and norepinephrine-thermogenesis in cold-acclimatized rats

¹ Physiology Department, Arctic Aeromedical Laboratory, Fort Wainwright, Alaska

The cardiovascular and metabolic actions of norepinephrine (NE) and their inter-relationships were studied at normal room temperature in anesthetized, warm-acclimatized (W-A) (26 ± 1 C) and cold-acclimatized (C-A) (3 ± 1 C) rats. The cardiac output, heart rate, stroke volume, arterial pressure, right atrial pressure, and systemic resistance were measured prior to NE infusion; during NE infusion (2 µg/min) at the 25, 50, 75, and 100% levels of increased metabolism; and after infusion of NE had ceased. Norepinephrine caused a greater increase in the cardiac output, heart rate, stroke volume, and right atrial pressure in the C-A animals than it did in W-A animals. During the early metabolic response to NE (i.e., up to 25% increase in O₂ consumption) there was a marked increase in the arterial pressure of both W-A and C-A rats, with the latter showing the greater maximum response. Beyond the 25% level of increased metabolism the arterial pressure and concomitantly the systemic resistance of the C-A animals declined sharply to the preinfusion levels where they remained throughout the course of infusion. In contrast to this, the arterial pressure and systemic resistance of the W-A animals remained high. It was concluded that norepinephrine-calorigenesis in the C-A rat is supported by a greater capacity to increase the cardiac output and an ability to preferentially reduce the systemic resistance to actively metabolizing areas (i.e., the viscera).