60 Fun Facts About Adrenaline

Why do Americans call the drug 'epinephrine' while Britons say 'adrenaline'?

Epinephrine remains the US Adopted Name and the International Nonproprietary Name, though adrenaline is used everywhere.

Apart from the adrenal glands, which part of the brain contains neurons that produce adrenaline?

The adrenal glands supply almost all of it, though.

Where in the body are the suprarenal glands?

Together they weigh only 7 to 10 grams.

The name 'adrenaline' comes from Latin words meaning what?

'Epinephrine' means the same thing in Greek: 'upon the kidney'.

The outer cortex of the adrenal gland produces which class of chemical messenger?

Cortisol and aldosterone are the best known; the inner medulla supplies adrenaline.

What name is given to the adrenaline-producing tissue of the adrenal medulla?

After removal of the adrenal glands, adrenaline vanishes from the bloodstream entirely.

Adrenaline is built from which amino acids?

The pathway runs through L-DOPA, dopamine and noradrenaline before the final step.

Which enzyme performs the final step that turns noradrenaline into adrenaline?

It depends on the high concentration of cortisol draining from the cortex into the medulla, which is why Addison's disease can suppress adrenaline.

Chemically, how does adrenaline differ from noradrenaline?

Both belong to the catecholamine family along with dopamine.

Adrenaline, noradrenaline and dopamine belong to which family of compounds?

All are derived from the amino acid tyrosine.

Adrenaline exerts its effects by binding to which two classes of receptor?

Pharmacological doses stimulate α1, α2, β1, β2 and β3 adrenoceptors.

Which physiologist first proposed the concept of the fight-or-flight response, in 1914-15?

He also coined the term homeostasis and popularised his ideas in The Wisdom of the Body (1932).

Which term did Walter Cannon coin for the body's tendency to keep its internal conditions stable?

He was chairman of physiology at Harvard Medical School.

What happens to the pupils during the fight-or-flight response?

Wider pupils let in more light for a better view of the surroundings.

Which part of the heart does adrenaline act on to raise cardiac output?

It also increases blood flow to muscles and raises blood sugar.

What effect does adrenaline have on insulin secretion by the pancreas?

At the same time it stimulates the liver and muscle to break down glycogen, raising blood glucose.

Who discovered in 1946 that noradrenaline, not adrenaline, is the main sympathetic neurotransmitter?

The word 'adrenergic' is therefore often misinterpreted.

Which physicians showed in 1895 that an adrenal extract raising blood pressure came from the gland's inner part?

Oliver was a general practitioner in North Yorkshire; Schäfer a physiologist at University College London.

Which pharmacologist prepared an adrenal extract in 1897 and coined the US name for the hormone?

He built the name from the Greek for 'upon' and 'kidney'.

Which Japanese chemist patented a purified adrenal extract in 1901, trademarked as Adrenalin?

He also isolated the starch-digesting enzyme takadiastase and helped give Washington its cherry trees.

Which company held the US trademark 'Adrenalin'?

Their chemist Thomas Aldrich had independently purified the hormone in 1900.

The chemist who patented Adrenalin helped give Washington, D.C. which famous gift in 1912?

They were planted around the Tidal Basin.

In which year did Friedrich Stolz and Henry Dakin independently first synthesise adrenaline?

It was among the first hormones ever to be made artificially.

Besides severe allergic reactions and bleeding, which heart emergency is injected adrenaline used for?

Inhaled, it is also used for croup and sometimes for asthma.

Where should an adrenaline injection be given for a suspected severe allergic reaction?

That is the site of the vastus lateralis muscle.

Who invented the EpiPen in the mid-1970s?

He worked at Survival Technology in Bethesda, Maryland; the FDA approved it in 1987.

Which company raised the price of a two-pack of EpiPens from about $100 to $600 between 2007 and 2016?

It had bought the marketing rights from Merck KGaA and held about 90% of the market.

Which two French physiologists discovered anaphylaxis in dogs in 1902 while studying sea-creature toxins?

Prince Albert I of Monaco had invited them on an expedition; Richet won the 1913 Nobel Prize for the work.

Roughly what share of people worldwide experience life-threatening allergic shock?

Common triggers include insect stings, nuts, milk, eggs, antibiotics and latex.

Adrenaline is a common additive to local anaesthetics and is used to stop what?

It constricts blood vessels through alpha-1 receptors, which also raises blood pressure.

Inhaled adrenaline is used to ease the symptoms of which childhood illness?

It may also be used for asthma when other treatments fail.

Adrenaline can also treat which eye condition, by increasing the outflow of aqueous humour?

Lowering the fluid outflow resistance reduces pressure inside the eye.

What are the most common side effects of adrenaline as a medication?

A fast heart rate and high blood pressure may follow, and occasionally an abnormal rhythm.

What is a pheochromocytoma?

Its classic symptoms are high blood pressure, racing heart, sweating and headaches.

Who synthesised the first clinically significant beta blockers, propranolol and pronethalol, in 1964?

They revolutionised the treatment of angina.

Why have beta blockers been used as performance enhancers in archery, shooting, golf and snooker?

The IOC bans them in some sports; musicians and speakers use them for stage fright.

What is adrenochrome?

Hunter S. Thompson mentioned it in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, and it later featured in QAnon conspiracy theories.

In the 2006 film Crank, Jason Statham's character must keep his adrenaline flowing to survive what?

The 'Beijing Cocktail' inhibits adrenaline flow, slowing the heart until it stops.

What is the dictionary definition of an 'adrenaline junkie'?

Extreme sports, substance abuse and crime are among the outlets cited.

Which emotion has been studied most in relation to adrenaline?

Higher adrenaline correlates with an aroused state of negative emotion.

What effect can adrenergic hormones such as adrenaline have on long-term memory?

That may help explain the vividness of memories formed under stress, including in PTSD.

Adrenaline was found in a plant, Scoparia dulcis, growing in which country?

It also occurs in many animals and even some single-celled organisms.

Which anatomist is credited with the first description of the suprarenal glands, in 1563-64?

The Eustachian tube of the ear is also named after him.

Which physician's 1855 work on the suprarenal capsules gave his name to a disorder?

John F. Kennedy suffered from Addison's disease throughout his presidency.

Which US president had Addison's disease, causing fatigue and darkening of the face?

The disease is a failure of the adrenal cortex to make enough cortisol and aldosterone.

Cannon reported a frightened cat's heart quickens and pupils widen. What happens to its hair?

Piloerection is a classic sign of sympathetic arousal.

Is the inner adrenal tissue that makes adrenaline essential for survival?

Patients whose adrenals are removed still respond normally to low blood sugar and exercise.

Adrenoceptors belong to which large family of cell-surface proteins?

Beta blockers and asthma inhalers both work by targeting them.

Adrenaline as a medicine appears on which organisation's List of Essential Medicines?

In 2023 it was the 247th most-prescribed medication in the US, with over a million prescriptions.

How much adrenaline does a standard adult autoinjector deliver?

Injected into the outer thigh, it is the first-line treatment for anaphylaxis.

Which brand became the first FDA-approved adrenaline nasal spray for anaphylaxis, in August 2024?

ARS Pharmaceuticals won approval for people weighing at least 30 kg; the EU authorised it as Eurneffy the same month.

For which condition did selective β2 drugs such as salbutamol replace adrenaline as the preferred treatment?

Adrenaline was used historically for bronchospasm and low blood sugar; an over-the-counter adrenaline inhaler was still sold for asthma in the US in the 2020s.

Via alpha receptors, adrenaline stimulates which liver process to raise blood sugar?

Together with increased fatty acids, this supplies fuel for cells throughout the body during stress.

Which over-the-counter US adrenaline inhaler brand is sold to relieve bronchial asthma?

Other adrenaline brand names include Asthmanefrin, Micronefrin and VapoNefrin.

At which Bethesda, Maryland company was the EpiPen invented in the mid-1970s?

Sheldon Kaplan's device was first approved for marketing by the FDA in 1987; the firm later became Meridian Medical Technologies.

In which year did the FDA first approve the EpiPen for marketing?

Teva won approval for the first generic EpiPen in August 2018.

The Auvi-Q autoinjector was approved in 2012 after the FDA required a change from what proposed name?

Its talking design guides users through the injection.

After adrenaline and IV fluids, how should a person in anaphylaxis be positioned?

The position helps restore normal blood flow as circulation is compromised.

The adrenal cortex is divided into how many main zones?

The zona glomerulosa, fasciculata and reticularis produce aldosterone, cortisol and androgens.

Which mineralocorticoid from the zona glomerulosa regulates blood pressure and electrolytes?

Cortisol and androgens come from the deeper cortical layers, while adrenaline is made in the medulla.