Alterations in Metabolism of 3H-Epinephrine in the Pregnant and Non-Pregnant State and in Males

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Abstract
The influence of sex, pregnancy and parturition on biological accumulation and metabolic fate was studied in Sherman rats. 3H-epinephrine was used as a tracer to determine differences in metabolite formation in normal males and females as well as pregnant rats from 18 day post coitum to the end of parturition. The disappearance of 3H-epinephrine and its metabolites was measured in blood, heart, kidney and brain at different intervals but 20 min after the injection of tracer was found the most appropriate time to find appreciable radioactivity in most of the organs studied. All the comparisons for 3H-epinephrine accumulation and its transformation to metabolites have been reported 20 min post-perfusion period. Marked changes of high statistical significance in 3H-epinephrine accumulation and its transformation to 3H-metanephrine and 3H-acid metabolites were observed between males and females. Heart, adrenals, and spleen showed lower rate of metabolism but higher rate of accumulation during pregnancy. Kidney, ovary, and uterus demonstrated higher rate of metabolism but lower rate of accumulation during gestation. In brain regions, hypophysis discriminated greatly between males and females for the three parameters studied. There were important alterations in metabolite formation during 18 and 21 days of pregnancy. The observed variations have been considered due to modified endocrine activity during pregnancy and parturition.