The effect of
catecholamines and
adrenergic receptor blocking drugs on mortality and body temperature was studied in mice subjected to
burn,
tourniquet, and
endotoxin shock at an environmental temperature of 25 degrees C.
Epinephrine and
norepinephrine (0.5 mg/kg) injected intraperitoneally postburn increased
shock mortality significantly (p less than 0.05); pretreatment with these
catecholamines had no effect. Pretreatment of
burn- and
tourniquet-traumatized mice with
propranolol (25 mg/kg) significantly decreased
shock mortality, while pretreatment with
dibenamine (25 mg/kg) significantly lowered early mortality after
endotoxin. None of the
catecholamines or their blocking drugs significantly prevented the characteristic immediate fall in core temperature after the three types of
shock. At 6 days postburn, however, a combination of
propranolol and
dibenamine caused a marked fall in core temperature (p less than 0.05). These results indicate that beta-
catecholamine agonists could play an important role in acute
burn mortality and that both alpha- and beta-
catecholamine agonists could significantly influence body temperature regulation and metabolic rate during the late postburn period.