Release of endogenous noradrenaline from the rat tail artery induced by veratridine.

The overflow of endogenous noradrenaline from the isolated rat tail artery was measured using a radioenzymatic method. Veratridine increased the overflow markedly even in the absence of external Ca2+. Modifications of the effect of 5 microM veratridine by tetrodotoxin, pargyline, cocaine, lidocaine, and phenoxybenzamine indicated that interaction of the alkaloid with the sodium channel induces primarily nonexocytotic release of noradrenaline. Ouabain inhibited the effect of 5 microM veratridine on the overflow into Ca2+-free solution, but it greatly potentiated the effect if external Ca2+ was present. Potentiation of the effect of veratridine in Ca2+-free solution by cyanide was ouabain sensitive. These observations are consistent with the hypothesis that, at low concentrations of veratridine such as 5 microM, the initial cause of enhanced release of noradrenaline may be a consequence of increased activity of the sodium pump, namely increased consumption of ATP by the pump.