Effect of adrenal demedullation on urinary excretion of catecholamines in thermal trauma in rats

The urinary excretions of adrenaline and noradrenaline were determined before and after a moderate thermal trauma in rats with intact adrenal glands, after adrenal demedullation and after adrenalectomy with grafting of adrenal cortical tissue. The basal excretions of adrenaline were 0.28 mug, 0.06 mug and 0.04 mug/24 h/rat, respectively. In rats with intact adrenal glands the adrenaline excretion was greatly increased already in the first 24 hours after the burn. In both the demedullated and adrenalectomized rats only a very slight increase of the adrenaline excretion was noted, but this may indicate a slight reaction of the extramedullary chromaffin tissue to the trauma. The basal excretion of noradrenaline was not affected either by demedullation or adrenalectomy, indicating that it consisted mainly in noradrenaline released from peripheral sympathetic nerve endings. From the second day after the burn there was an increase in the noradrenaline excretion, of equal magnitude in all experimental groups, indicating an increased liberation of peripheral adrenergic transmittor substances.