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Relations between the actions of adrenaline, acetylcholine, and ions, on the perfused heart
Author(s) -
Davis E.
Publication year - 1931
Publication title -
the journal of physiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.802
H-Index - 240
eISSN - 1469-7793
pISSN - 0022-3751
DOI - 10.1113/jphysiol.1931.sp002748
Subject(s) - acetylcholine , citation , computer science , library science , information retrieval , medicine
THE action of adrenaline and acetylcholine is known to be profoundly influenced by the ionic concentration of the medium in which they act. The literature on this subject contains many apparently conflicting statements, and a critical analysis suggests that the following facts may account for some of the discrepancies. (a) The bulk of the literature is concerned with the frog heart. Different species of frog were used by various authors, experimenting on different preparations at different seasons. There is evidence that the various species of frog do not react in the same way to a given drug-Krogh [1917] and Lanz [1928]-and that the ionic medium of cold-blooded animals alters with seasonBouckaert, Bouckaert and Noyons [1922]. (b) It is necessary to differentiate between results obtained with the whole heart and those with the isolated auricle, isolated ventricle, ventricular slips, and other modifications. (c) In assessing results, it is important to allow for the wide variety of perfusion fluids which has been used. To consider but one constituent, Ca", of frog heart Ringer's fluid, Sollman and Barlow [1926] used 0-026 p.c., Clark [1913] used 0-012 p.c., while Burridge [1920] added Ca" till the heart was beating at a sufficient amplitude. (d) The pH was not always controlled, and (e) the concentrations of drug employed were often of very different orders. With these considerations in mind the experiments described below were performed, their principal object being to re-examine the effect of ionic changes on the heart and to determine to what extent these affect the action of adrenaline and acetylcholine.