Responses of the Kidney and Spleen to Subcutaneously Injected Epinephrin.

Abstract

Halsey and Lemann 1 found that hypodermic injection of epinephrin in asthmatic patients may cause relaxation of the bronchial musculature without synchronous rise in blood pressure. This observation reopened the question of the differing sensitivity of various epinephrin receptors. C. A. Dragstedt and Huffman 2 recorded in dogs the simultaneous effects of continuous intravenous injections of epinephrin on blood pressure and intestinal motility during and after anesthesia and in the absence of drugs and anesthetics. Except under deep anesthesia, the authors were able to obtain definite blood pressure rises without intestinal inhibitions. Durant and McNinch 3 externalized the spleens of two young dogs by the Barcroft-Stephens method and took blood pressure and oncometric (spleen) tracings while the animals were unanesthetized. Intravenous injection of minimal amounts of epinephrin produced blood pressure rise and splenic constriction, but no intestinal inhibition.

Luckhardt and Koppányi 4 developed a method which greatly facilitated the attack of our problem. This method consists of subcutaneous injection of epinephrin and massage of the injected area. Such massages produced marked blood pressure rises, but, deepening the anesthesia promptly abolished the effects of massage upon blood pressure. When the effectiveness of massages of the epinephrinized areas upon the blood pressure is thus abolished, one can observe the action which such massages exert on different organs.

This study deals with the effect of massage of epinephrinized areas on volume changes in the spleen and kidney. We know that intravenously injected epinephrin produces constriction of the spleen and kidney, and because of the latter checks the flow of urine. These actions are presumably due solely to vasoconstriction in these organs.