Changes in beta-adrenergic responsiveness of rats during chronic cold exposure

Administration of isoproterenol (50 micrograms/kg sc) to rats that had been exposed to cold (6 degrees C) for 10, 15, and 25 days was accompanied by a greater increase in tail skin and colonic temperatures than in controls kept at 25 degrees C. Administration of isoproterenol (8 micrograms/kg sc) to cold-treated rats (1, 3, 5, 7, 14, and 28 days) increased heart rates above that of controls. However, resting unstimulated heart rates of cold-treated rats were also increased above that of controls after 1, 3, 5, and 7 days of cold exposure but were not different from controls after 14 and 28 days. Cold exposure also led to time-dependent increases in the weights of heart, adrenals, and interscapular brown fat. Thus, chronic exposure of rats to cold is accompanied by an increase in responsiveness of both heart rate and tail skin and colonic temperatures to beta-adrenergic stimulation. The results also suggest that increases in responsiveness to a beta-adrenergic agonist may not occur at the same time for the different beta-adrenergic-mediated metabolic and cardiovascular responses in cold-treated rats.