Adrenal catecholamines content in fetal and newborn rats.

The adrenal epinephrine content of newborn rats delivered by caesarian section on day 21.5 of gestation and maintained at thermal neutrality (37 degrees C) did not decrease over the 6 h following birth in spite of a transient phase of hypoglycemia. Cold exposure (30 or 24 degrees C) of the newborn rats immediately after birth did not decrease their adrenal epinephrine content. A decrease in adrenal epinephrine content is observed in 21.5-day-old rat fetuses after insulin-induced hypoglycemia for 4 h, after 2-deoxy-D-glucose injection or after anoxia. In 20.5-day-old rat fetuses, insulin-induced hypoglycemia for 4 h or 2-deoxy-D-glucose did not decrease the adrenal epinephrine content of the fetus. No variation was observed in norepinephrine content of the adrenal gland in all these situations. It is concluded that spontaneously occurring hypoglycemia or cold exposure are not sufficient stimuli to induce adrenal epinephrine depletion. It is suggested that hypoxia is perhaps the physiological stimulus for epinephrine secretion in newborn rats.