title: Use of microdialysis for monitoring sympathetic and parasympathetic innervation of heart in conscious rats.
abstract: A microdialysis method was developed to sample norepinephrine and acetylcholine from the heart of freely moving rats. A flexible dialysis fiber (length 14 mm), with a copper wire inserted inside, was implanted into the heart. Extracellular norepinephrine was detectable for at least 72 h after implantation. Basal output levels 24 h after surgery were 140 pg/ml when corrected for in vitro recovery. Evidence was provided that the major part of norepinephrine in dialysates is derived from local neurotransmission. Acetylcholine was only detectable in cardiac dialysates when an esterase inhibitor was infused. Corrected basal output levels 24 h after surgery were 223 pg/ml when neostigmine was coinfused in a concentration of 100 mumol/l. In addition, the presence of local muscarinic autoreceptors on cholinergic neurons in the heart was shown. It is concluded that microdialysis is a reliable method that can be used to study the innervation of the heart in subchronic preparations in freely moving rats.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Groningen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: T I
authors.initials: TI
authors.lastname: Cremers
authors.forename: A C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Teisman
authors.forename: W H
authors.initials: WH
authors.lastname: van Gilst
authors.forename: B H
authors.initials: BH
authors.lastname: Westerink
mesh_terms: D000109:Acetylcholine / Q000378:metabolism*; D000818:Animals; D001794:Blood Pressure; D001835:Body Weight; D006321:Heart / Q000294:innervation*; D006339:Heart Rate; D008297:Male; D017551:Microdialysis / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods; D008991:Monitoring, Physiologic / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods; D009206:Myocardium / Q000378:metabolism*; D009638:Norepinephrine / Q000378:metabolism*; D010275:Parasympathetic Nervous System / Q000502:physiology*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D013564:Sympathetic Nervous System / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D000109:Acetylcholine; D009638:Norepinephrine