Tissue Content of Noradrenaline and 5-hydroxytryptamine in the Rat after Ionizing Radiation

Summary

In attempts to elucidate functional differences between various types of adrenergic nerves, rats were given 850 R whole-body x-irradiation, previously shown by other authors to produce a marked reduction in tissue catecholamine levels. This treatment, however, did not overtly affect the noradrenaline concentration in the heart, vas deferens, or in the brain as demonstrated in fluorometric determinations and by fluorescence microscopy 24 or 48 hours after treatment. Also 5-hydroxytryptamine in brain remained unchanged. If anything, there was a tendency to a slight increase in cardiac noradrenaline after 48 hours and in brain 5-hydroxytryptamine 24 hours after the treatment.