EXCRETION OF ADRENALINE AND NORADRENALINE IN HUMAN SUBJECTS*

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Abstract
A study was conducted on the excretion of epinephrine (A) and norepinephrine (NA): (1) in sleep and in waking states; (2) after the infusion of A or NA into an adrenalectomized subject; (3) after psycho-motor stress; and (4) after giving ACTH. There was an increase in the excretion of A and NA in the waking state compared with that during sleep, but the percentage increase was greater for A. When sympathico-adrenal function (A and NA excretion) and pituitary-adrenal function (17-ketosteroid excretion) were measured in the same samples, both showed increases for the waking state compared to the values during sleep, but no quantitative relationships were apparent. In the 1 adrenalectomized patient studied, there was no detectable A in the urine, but there was an increase in the NA excretion in the waking state over that during sleep. Approximately 2 hours after beginning an infusion of A or of NA into the adrenalectomized patient results indicated that at the dosage level of 165 [mu]g (0.1 [mu]g kg/minute) only 0.5% of the administered A, but 5.7% of the administered NA appeared in the urine. The percentage of the infused amine measurable in the urine after the infusion was dependent upon the dose given per unit of time; the larger the dose the greater the percentage measurable in the urine. Though there was great individual variability in the values obtained during the psychomotor stress of performing on the Hoagland-Werthessen-pursuitmeter, increases in the excretion of both A and NA were shown. When the stress included hypoxia (17 experiments on 6 subjects), there was a significant increase in the excretion of A but not of NA compared with the values for the control sample. Injection of 20 IU of ACTH daily for 3 days into 4 normal subjects resulted in a decrease in the excretion of NA but little or no change in excretion of A.