Epinephrine Induced Dermal Necrosis in Endotoxemia: Attempts to Define Response on an Immunological Basis.

SummarySeveral aspects of hemorrhagic necrosis of rabbit skin following intravenous injection of endotoxin and intradermal administration of epinephrine have been studied. The reaction was consistently reproduced using 100 μg epinephrine and 10 μg endotoxin. It could be abolished by an 8-day course of intravenous endotoxin as previously demonstrated. No resistance to the reaction could be shown to persist 6 days following immunization. No accelerated response to a booster course of endotoxin injections could be demonstrated during the fourth week following the primary injections. Hemorrhagic necrosis could not be prevented by the passive transfer of 10 ml of whole serum, or with serum fractions separated by DEAE cellulose chromatography and rich in the individual classes of immune globulins. The specificity of dermal necrosis induced by epinephrine in endotoxemia remains unclear. It is not possible at this time to define the nature of the temporary protection against epinephrine on an immunological basis.