DISPOSITION OF NOREPINEPHRINE-H³ IN SYMPATHETIC GANGLIA

¹ Laboratory of Clinical Science, National Institute of Mental Health, Public Health Service, U. S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare, Bethesda, Maryland

Injected H³-norepinephrine is rapidly taken up by superior cervical ganglia and rapidly disappears at a monophasic rate with a half-life of about 1 hour. Denervation of the superior cervical ganglia markedly slows this rate of disappearance.

The ganglionic stores of H³-norepinephrine can be depleted by reserpine treatment but not by tyramine. The uptake of H³-norepinephrine in sympathetic ganglia is unaffected by pretreatment with cocaine.

Both endogenous and exogenous catecholamines in the superior cervical ganglia are localized in the cytoplasm.

Considerable activities of catechol-O-methyl transferase, histamine methyl transferase, monoamine oxidase, and 5-hydroxytryptophan decarboxylase can be demonstrated in superior cervical ganglia.