Porcine muscle responses to carbachol, alpha- and beta-adrenoceptor agonists, halothane or hyperthermia.

1. Whole body trans-section at the level of the first or second lumbar vertebra of stress-susceptible or normal Poland China swine provided a preparation of isolated perfused caudal muscle that was without nervous or hormonal influences. Metabolic responses to halothane anaesthesia were exaggerated in the susceptible preparation. 2. Carbachol (10(-4) M) increased O2 consumption threefold and elevated blood lactate levels from 3 to 8 mumole/ml. in susceptible but not in normal muscle preparations. 3. Isoprenaline in a continuous infusion (2.5 micrograms/kg caudal wt. per min for 12 min, subsequently diminished to 1.2 microgram/kg per min) did not increase O2 consumption of susceptible or normal muscle but did increase blood lactate by 2 mumole/ml. in both. 4. Simultaneous administration of carbachol and isoprenaline resulted in additive increases in blood lactate. 5. Incremental increases in temperature above 41 degrees C initiated exaggerated increases in O2 consumption and blood lactate in susceptible but not normal muscle; these were similar to whole body responses. 6. Phenylephrine (0.2-25 micrograms/kg per min continuous) produced (i) hypertension, (ii) no observed effects upon aerobic or anaerobic metabolism and (iii) progressive tissue oedema; these effects were similar in susceptible and normal muscle. 7. Skeletal muscle from stress-susceptible swine is evidently inherently capable of metabolic responses to cholinergic agonists and increased temperature; these responses are greater than those in normal muscle. This suggests that initiation of stress responses in intact swine is related to somatic motor and sympathetic stimulation of abnormal skeletal muscle, and not to a disorder of the somatic or sympathetic nervous system.