Experimental studies on the changes of adrenergic receptors in rat liver with acute injury and in endotoxemia.

Previous studies suggested that hepatic alpha and beta adrenergic receptors is stable and it is in dynamic equilibrium under normal conditions. However, at a pathological condition these receptors may be changed. We studied the changes of adrenergic receptors in the rat liver with acute injury and in endotoxemia by light microscopic autoradiography. Our experimental results reveal that in the liver of rats with acute injury and in endotoxemia there were changes in varying degrees of alpha and beta adrenoceptors. Moreover, the changes were not uniform in various structures of the rat liver. Glucagon can keep adrenergic receptors stable on hepatic cells and muscular cells of blood vessels in the rat liver. Our experiment provides evidence for clinical use of adrenoceptor antagonists in the treatment of acute and chronic liver disease.