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Stimulant Action of Barium on the Adrenal Medulla

Nature volume 203, pages 305–307 (1964)Cite this article

Abstract

BARIUM has been reported to release catecholamines from the adrenal gland in intact animals, and this action has been attributed to its setting up discharges in the splanchnic nerves1. A re-examination of the action of barium seemed to be called for in the light of more recent evidence that calcium, a closely related alkali earth, is intimately involved in the secretory process within the adrenal chromaffin cells. This evidence has suggested that the chemical transmitter liberated by the splanchnic nerves, acetylcholine, stimulates the chromaffin cells to secrete by increasing the permeability of their membranes so that there is an inward movement of calcium. In this view the appearance of an excess of calcium ions at some site in the chromaffin cell provides the immediate physiological stimulus for the release of the stored catecholamines2–4.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pharmacology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York, 61

    W. W. DOUGLAS & R. P. RUBIN

Authors
  1. W. W. DOUGLAS
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  2. R. P. RUBIN
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DOUGLAS, W., RUBIN, R. Stimulant Action of Barium on the Adrenal Medulla. Nature 203, 305–307 (1964). https://doi.org/10.1038/203305a0

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