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J Appl Physiol (December 12, 2003). doi:10.1152/japplphysiol.00990.2003
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Submitted on September 11, 2003
Accepted on December 3, 2003

No alpha-adrenoreceptor induced C-fiber activation in healthy human skin

Sebastian Zahn1, Stefan Leis1, Christoph Schick2, Martin Schmelz3, and Frank Birklein4*

1 Department of Neurology, University of Erlangen, Germany; Department of Physiology and Experimental Pathophysiology, University of Erlangen, Germany
2 Department of Surgery, University of Erlangen, Germany
3 Department of Anesthesiology, University of Mannheim, Germany
4 Department of Neurology, University of Mainz, Germany

* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: birklein{at}neurologie.klinik.uni-mainz.de.

In healthy volunteers flare responses induced by norepinephrine (NE) iontophoresis has been observed. However, as NE iontophoresis is a combined electrical and chemical stimulus axon reflexes cannot be directly linked to pharmocological activity of NE. Different concentrations of norepinephrine (NE), clonidine (CL) and phenylephrine (PE) (NE: 10-10-10-3 M, CL and PE: 10-8-10-3 M) were applied via intradermal microdialysis fibers into the skin of healthy volunteers. Simultaneously, skin blood flow was visualized by Laser-Doppler imaging scans (LDI) and quantified in a vasoconstriction skin area (VC) directly above the membranes in order to control drug effects and in an expected axon reflex vasodilation areas (VD) 0.75 cm apart. NE, PE and CL caused dose dependent vasoconstriction. However, neither in the presumed axon reflex area (quantitative analysis) nor on LDI pictures (qualitative analysis) was any vasodilation observed. Even at concentrations causing maximum vasoconstriction (10-3 M for any drug), no vasodilation was induced. Our results indicate that in healthy human skin exogenously supplied alpha-adrenoreceptor agonists alone do not activate nociceptors sufficiently to induce axon reflex flare.




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