Abstract

Isolated adrenal cells were prepared by collagenase digestion of guinea pig adrenal glands. Acetylcholine stimulates the secretion of catecholamines by these isolated adrenal cells. Acetylcholine-stimulated catecholamine secretion is inhibited by cholinergic blocking agents (atropine and hexamethonium) and by local anaesthetics (tetracaine), and is dependent upon the concentration of Ca 2+ in the incubation medium. In the presence of Ca 2+, catecholamine secretion is also stimulated by two divalent cation ionophores, A23187 and X-537A. Cyclic nucleotides and 5′-nucleotides cause a small, non-specific stimulation of catecholamine secretion. These results indicate that isolated adrenal cells are a useful system in which to study catecholamine secretion, and support the hypothesis that increased Ca 2+ entry into chromaffin cells is a sufficient stimulus for catecholamine secretion.

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