Sympathetic nervous control of blood flow in the gills of the Atlantic cod,Gadus morhua

Abstract

The effects of sympathetic nerve stimulation, adrenaline and isoprenaline on the inflow pressure and efferent arterial and venous flow rates were studied in a cod gill preparation perfused at constant flow rate. The dominant effect of adrenaline was a reduced inflow pressure, accompanied by an increase in arterial flow and a decrease in venous flow. Isoprenaline also decreased the inflow pressure, but the changes in both outflow rates were small or absent. Sympathetic nerve stimulation gave arterial and venous flow changes comparable to the adrenaline effects, but the inflow pressure increased during nerve stimulation. Propranolol has little effect on the nerve responses, but phentolamine abolished or reversed the increase in inflow pressure, and also decreased or abolished the changes in outflow rates. The possible sites of action of the sympathetic fibres, and the distribution of adrenoceptors in the effector tissue is discussed. It is concluded that the main effect of sympathetic nerve stimulation is α-adrenoceptor mediated, involving constriction of the arterio-venous pathway. Theβ-adrenoceptor mediated control of total branchial vascular resistance may largely depend on circulating catecholamines.