Non-neurogenic adrenal catecholamine release in the neonatal rat: exocytosis or diffusion?
When subjected to stress, neonatal rats secrete adrenal catecholamines by a mechanism which does not require nerve stimulation. To test whether the non-neurogenic secretory mechanism involves exocytosis, we examined the effects of hypoxia (a non-neurogenic stimulus) and nicotine (a stimulus which simulates neurogenic input) on catecholamine levels and on the uptake of [3H]epinephrine into chromaffin granules. Hypoxia- and nicotine-induced depletion of catecholamines were both accompanied by a reduction in uptake, indicating a loss of granule integrity which is characteristic of exocytosis. Although a significant proportion of adrenal catecholamines was found to be extragranular, only the granular pool was involved in the secretory response.
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Related Subject Headings
- Rats, Inbred Strains
- Rats
- Nicotine
- Neurology & Neurosurgery
- Male
- Hypoxia
- Exocytosis
- Diffusion
- Chromaffin Granules
- Catecholamines
Citation
Published In
DOI
ISSN
Publication Date
Volume
Issue
Start / End Page
Location
Related Subject Headings
- Rats, Inbred Strains
- Rats
- Nicotine
- Neurology & Neurosurgery
- Male
- Hypoxia
- Exocytosis
- Diffusion
- Chromaffin Granules
- Catecholamines