Jpn. J. Pharmacol. 69, 413-420 (1995)


Insulin-Induced Hypoglycemia Stimulates Both Adrenaline and Noradrenaline Release from Adrenal Medulla in 21-Day-Old Rats

Yukio Fujino and Tomoko Fujii

Department of Pharmacology, Teikyo University School of Medicine, 2-11-1, Kaga, Itabashi-Ku, Tokyo 173, Japan

Abstract: It has been well-established that insulin-induced hypoglycemia evokes preferential adrenaline release from the adrenal medulla in fasted adult rats. The present study examined the responsiveness to hypoglycemia in fasted 21-day-old and 8-week-old rats. The recovery of adrenaline in the chromaffin granule fraction prepared from the 8-week-old rat adrenal homogenate decreased 30 min after subcutaneous injection of 3 U/kg insulin, whereas the recovery of both adrenaline and noradrenaline was diminished in 21-day-old rats. In electron microscopy, omega-shaped profiles, indicative of exocytosis, were frequently observed in adrenaline- and noradrenaline-storing cells of 21-day-old rats. These results indicate that the responsiveness of the noradrenaline-storing cells to hypoglycemia in 21-day-old rats is different from that in young adult rats.

Keywords: Adrenal chromaffin cell, Hypoglycemia, Catecholamine release, Exocytosis, Infant rat


Copyright© The Japanese Pharmacological Society 1995

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