The main source of epinephrine (E), and to a lesser extent of norepinephrine (NE), originates from the neurosecretory chromaffin cell population housed in the adrenal medullary tissue. As such, beyond the novelty of CA assays from acute slice supernatants, our study contributes at refining the secretory behavior of the rat adrenal medullary tissue, and opens new perspectives for monitoring the release of other hormones and transmitters, especially those involved in the stress response.Ĭatecholamines (CA) play important physiological roles in human and animal organisms by contributing to maintain body homeostasis.

A pharmacological challenge with hexamethonium, an α3-containing nicotinic acetylcholine receptor antagonist, disclosed that epinephrine- and NE-secreting chromaffin cells distinctly expressed α3 nicotinic receptors, with a dominant contribution in NE cells. Nicotine is, however, more efficient than acetylcholine to evoke NE release. Our data point that the two glands are equally competent to secrete epinephrine and NE, exhibiting an equivalent epinephrine:NE ratio, both at rest and in response to a cholinergic stimulation. This technique affords a convenient method for measuring basal and stimulated CA release from single acute slices, allowing thus to individually address the secretory function of the left and right glands. We tackled this issue in rat by developing an easy to implement experimental strategy combining the adrenal acute slice supernatant collection with a high-performance liquid chromatography-based epinephrine and norepinephrine (NE) assay.

Whereas molecular and cellular secretory processes have been extensively studied at the single chromaffin cell level, data available for the whole gland level are much scarcer. 2EA921, SONAS, SFR QUASAV, UBL/Angers University, Angers, FranceĬatecholamine (CA) secretion from the adrenal medullary tissue is a key step of the adaptive response triggered by an organism to cope with stress.

1Mitochondrial and Cardiovascular Pathophysiology – MITOVASC, CNRS UMR6015, INSERM U1083, UBL/Angers University, Angers, France.

Secretion of adrenal medulla