Effects of chronic metaraminol treatment on the sympathetic activity of intact and adrenal demedullated rats kept in warm or cold environments.

1. Rats were placed at 27 degrees C or 4 degrees C and given metaraminol ((10 mg/kg)/day) in their drinking water for 8 weeks. One experiment was run using adrenal demedullated rats. These animals were treated with metaraminol, as mentioned above, and kept at 4 degrees C for 4 weeks.2. Body temperature and metabolic rate were determined at selected intervals. Urine was collected on day 7 of each week and analysed for adrenaline, noradrenaline, metanephrine, normetanephrine and 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenylglycol (MHPG). At the end of each study the rats were killed and the tissues removed and analysed for metaraminol, adrenaline and noradrenaline.3. All animals survived the metaraminol treatment and no change in metabolic rate or body temperature was seen. Metaraminol depressed the growth rate of the rats.4. Metaraminol caused a fall in tissue noradrenaline concentrations, with only negligible quantities being found in brain, heart, lung, liver, kidney and spleen. Only the adrenals contained significant quantities of catecholamines. All tissues contained large amounts of metaraminol.5. Despite the almost complete depletion of noradrenaline from sympathetic nerves, metaraminol did not depress the excretion of noradrenaline, normetanephrine and MHPG, in fact excretion of the latter two substances was higher in the treated animals. The failure of the drug to impair the normal cold-induced increase in noradrenaline secretion explains the survival of the rats at 4 degrees C.6. Adrenal demedullation did not prevent the metaraminol-treated rats from excreting large quantities of noradrenaline, normetanephrine and MHPG in the cold. It is apparent, therefore, that in the intact rats the noradrenaline emanated from the practically depleted nerves. The increase in MHPG excretion, seen during metaraminol treatment, suggests an increased rate of noradrenaline turnover.7. In conclusion, although metaraminol uptake is accompanied by a fall in tissue noradrenaline concentrations, the presence of metaraminol does not depress noradrenaline release. These results do not support the concept that metaraminol can replace noradrenaline and function as a false transmitter.