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

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Abstract
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 μM 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 μM 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 μM, 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.