Microdialysis as a tool to assess interstitial norepinephrine levels in adipose tissue of spontaneously hypertensive rats.

The microdialysis technique was applied to the study of norepinephrine (NE) metabolism in white adipose tissue of spontaneously hypertensive (SHR, n = 6) and normotensive Wistar-Kyoto (WKY, n = 6) rats. Mean concentrations of interstitial NE were much higher in SHR as compared to WKY (mean +/- SEM: 980.9 +/- 125.6 pg/ml vs 520.7 +/- 96.1 pg/ml; p = 0.01) over the 180 min experimental period. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that sustained outflow from nerve endings of the peripheral sympathetic system may play a role in the maintenance of arterial hypertension. Owing to its low invasiveness, the microdialysis technique allows to continuously monitor NE extracellular levels in conscious and freely-moving animals.