Summary1. Isoprenaline (002 to 2-0 ,ug kg-' min-') inhibited gastric secretion in response to pentagastrin in both conscious and anaesthetized dogs and in response to feeding in conscious dogs.2. The inhibition was unaffected during cardiac f8-adrenoceptor blockade by propranolol. 3. The inhibition was not due to decreased mucosal blood flow. 4. This effect of isoprenaline is different from its effect on histamine-induced gastric secretion. 5. Noradrenaline (005-2-0 ,ug kg-' min') also decreased gastric secretion but it was less effective than isoprenaline. 6. The mechanism of action of noradrenaline is probably a decrease in mucosal blood flow.
IntroductionThe effect of an adrenoceptor stimulant drug on gastric secretion depends on many factors, particularly whether it acts on a-or ,8-receptors and whether secretion is induced by histamine or by gastrin-like compounds. This field has recently been reviewed by Holton (1972). The mechanism of action of noradrenaline, an .a-adrenoceptor agonist, appears to be primarily by the production of a decrease in mucosal blood flow (Jacobson, 1970). The mechanism of action of the 3-adrenoceptor agonist, isoprenaline, is more complex. On a background of histamine stimulation, small doses of isoprenaline increase or do not affect secretion