Effect of norepinephrine on consumption of oxygen in perfused skeletal muscle from cold-exposed rats

The effect of norepinephrine on the consumption of O2 was studied in the skeletal muscle in the perfused hindlimbs of rats that had been kept at 4 degrees C for 5-25 days. 1) Basal rates of consumption of O2 and release of lactate were not affected by exposure to cold. 2) The stimulation of consumption of O2 by norepinephrine increased in the perfused hindlimbs of rats exposed to cold for 10-25 days, with a maximum stimulation at 20 days. The response to norepinephrine decreased markedly in hindlimbs perfused with propranolol or phentolamine. Phenylephrine, in the presence of 0.5 nM isoproterenol, stimulated the consumption of O2 at concentrations as low as 0.5 microM, with a maximum at 5 microM, in hindlimbs from the group exposed to cold for 20 days. 3) Ouabain inhibited the stimulation of consumption of O2 by norepinephrine. Norepinephrine caused a net release of K+ in control muscle but a net uptake of K+ by muscle from the group exposed to cold for 20 days. The results suggest that the calorigenic responsiveness to norepinephrine increases in skeletal muscle during acclimation of the rat to the cold, both alpha- and beta-adrenergic actions are involved in the calorigenic effects of norepinephrine, and the increased activity of the Na+-K+ ATPase under the influence of norepinephrine may be involved in the calorigenic action of norepinephrine on the skeletal muscle of cold-acclimated rats.