The Effects of p Adrenergic Blockade on the Responses of Leucocyte Counts to Intravenous Epinephrine in Man

Changes in blood neutrophil and lymphocyte counts in response to a 30 min i.v. infusion of epinephrine alone and after pretreatment with propranolol (β‐blocking agent) were studied in 7 healthy subjects. Lymphocytes were classified into ‘normal’ and ‘stress' lymphocytes. Propranolol abolished the ‘stress' lymphocyte response to epinephrine but failed to block the ‘normal’ lymphocyte and, in the majority of subjects, the neutrophil responses. This was taken to indicate that the ‘stress' lymphocyte response is β‐adrenergic in type. A working hypothesis which involves both α and β‐receptors separately was suggested for the ‘normal’ lymphocyte response. More work is needed to clarify the nature of neutrophil responses.