The urinary excretion of adrenaline and noradrenaline by rats under various experimental conditions.

A study has been made of the excretion of adrenaline and noradrenaline in the urine of normal male rats and in the urine of these animals after the subcutaneous injection of saline, adrenaline, noradrenaline, morphine, insulin, iproniazid and thyroxine. The effects of thyroidectomy, adrenal demedullation and ether anaesthesia on the urinary output of adrenaline and noradrenaline have also been investigated. The findings are discussed against the background of the known effects of these treatments on the activity of the sympathetic nervous system.The results demonstrate that urinary adrenaline and noradrenaline estimations in the rat can, under favourable conditions, serve as an indicator of an alteration of sympathetic activity following the administration of a drug or some other deviation from normal.