Correlation between the response of the heart to sympathetic stimulation and the release of endogenous catecholamines into the coronary sinus of the dog.

The relationship between the increase in catecholamine levels of the coronary sinus blood and the amplitude of various cardiac responses to adrenergic nerve stimulation was studied in anesthetized dogs. Plasma catecholamine levels in both coronary sinus and aortic blood were measured by a modification of the radiometric enzymatic assay for tissue catecholamines and were found to be 0.622 plus or minus 0.104 (SE) ng/ml and 0.933 plus or minus 0.116 ng/ml, respectively, under basal conditions. The catecholamine levels in coronary sinus blood increased linearly during right cardioaccelerator nerve stimulation up to a frequency of 10 Hz. At this frequency, maximum values were observed in both coronary sinus blood catecholamine levels and cardiac responses. The correlation between the response in heart rate, mean coronary blood flow, and dP/dt of left ventricular pressure and the increase in endogenous catecholamine levels of coronary sinus blood was significant, but the relationship was nonlinear. The present experimental design may prove to be a reliable means of studying the role of the sympathetic nervous system in the regulation of cardiovascular function in vivo.