Sympathoadrenal mechanisms in cardiovascular responses to naloxone after hemorrhage

Five rabbits were allotted to each of six treatments on a matched-individual basis. Treatments were none, sham, total adrenalectomy with adrenocorticoid replacement, intravenous guanethidine (15 mg X kg-1 X day-1), adrenalectomy + guanethidine, and adrenal medullectomy. The conscious rabbits were bled 20 ml/kg over 5 min. Naloxone (6 mg/kg) was injected intravenously. The responses of arterial pressure and of plasma epinephrine (E) and norepinephrine (NE) concentrations were measured. Factorial analysis was used to calculate the effects of sympathetic noradrenergic nerves (SYM) and the adrenal medulla (ADR) on the responses. In combination, SYM + ADR fully accounted for the pressor response observed in normal and sham-treated rabbits. SYM and ADR each made independent and approximately equal contributions to the response, but the SYM X ADR interaction was strongly antagonistic. The responses of plasma E and NE were fully accounted for by the adrenal glands and sympathetic nerves, respectively. The pressor responses after total adrenalectomy and adrenal medullectomy were similar. Thus hemorrhage-stimulated adrenal corticosteroid release was not essential to naloxone's action, and adrenal enkephalins were not responsible for naloxone's action on sympathetic pathways.