Chemical sympathectomy with 6-hydroxydopamine potentiates intracerebroventricularly applied bombesin-induced increase in plasma adrenaline.

Intracerebroventricular administration of bombesin induced a marked increase in plasma level of adrenaline and a slight increase in that of noradrenaline in rats anesthetized with urethane. The bombesin-induced increase in adrenaline was potentiated by chemical sympathectomy with 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA). On the other hand, adrenalectomy did not affect plasma level of noradrenaline in the bombesin-treated animals. In the splanchnicotomized rats, direct stimulation of the adrenal glands by intravenously administered nicotine increased plasma level of both adrenaline and noradrenaline. These increases were, however, not potentiated by chemical sympathectomy with 6-OHDA. Pretreatment with capsaicin, a potent toxin selective to sensory neurons, potentiated the bombesin-induced increase in plasma level of adrenaline. In these capsaicin pretreated rats, chemical sympathectomy did not potentiate the bombesin-induced increase in plasma level of adrenaline to any great extent. These results suggest that chemical sympathectomy with 6-OHDA potentiated the bombesin-induced increase in plasma adrenaline probably due to a disinhibitory activation of the splanchnic nerve by as yet unidentified but capsaicin sensitive neuron mechanisms.