The rat adrenal gland in the study of the control of catecholamine secretion

Abstract

Catecholamine secretion in the rat can be studied in freely moving and anaesthetized animals, in isolated-perfused adrenals, medullae slices and isolated cultured cells. In addition the rat offers the advantage over the more widely used bovine adrenal model that researchers can have access to animals of the same age, sex and feeding conditions. Catecholamine release is similar to other species although it gives robust secretion in response to stimuli such as muscarinic agonists, bradykinin or VIP. It also allows the study of neurotransmission at the splanchnic-adrenal synapse. The use of single-cell preparations (patch-clamp, microfluorimetry, amperometry or capacitance) has overcome the limitations of the number of cells obtained from a gland. It is possible to study secretion in animal models of hypertension, chronic stress or diabetes and rats can be genetically modified.