Adrenergic Neuron Blockers and Transmitter Release after Sympathetic Denervation Studied in the Conscious Rat

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Abstract
13 to 15 hrs after excision of the superior cervical ganglion the postdenervation ptosis in the rat is reversed for about 12 hrs due to release of transmitter from degenerating nerve terminals. This degeneration contraction has been studied in unanesthetized rats. A special apparatus with an image splitting eyepiece was constructed for the measurement of the palpebral aperture at a distance. The time course of the degeneration contraction was found to correlate well with that of postdenervation transmitter depletion earlier found by other workers using biochemical and histochemical methods. Earlier findings that postdenervation depletion is delayed by bretylium were fully confirmed. It was also found that the neuron‐blockers beta‐TM 10 (10–50 mg/kg), bethanidine (10–50 mg/kg) and BW 392C60 (10–75 mg/kg) caused much less delay than bretylium at 1 to 50 mg/kg. The delayed degeneration contraction has a normal appearance and magnitude. There is no correlation between the neurone blocking action of the drugs and their “delaying effect”.
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