Abstract
The adrenal medulla synthesizes and releases catecholamines. Although this property is shared by sympathetic nervous tissue throughout the entire length of the sympathetic chain, the adrenal medulla differs in two important respects. First, the rate of production and release of catecholamines by the adrenal medulla are several hundredfold greater in comparison to the tissue of the sympathetic nervous system elsewhere. In this regard, the medulla can be regarded as a large “master ganglion” of the sympathetic system. Second, although norepinephrine can be secreted by the tissues of sympathetic nervous system as well as by the medulla, the enzymatic machinery required to produce epinephrine is possessed only by the adrenal medulla and the organ of Zuckerkandl, a structure composed of chromaffin-staining cells situated near the origin of the inferior mesenteric artery and often extending alongside the aorta until its bifurcation.
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Kannan, C.R. (1986). The Adrenal Medulla and Pheochromocytoma. In: Essential Endocrinology. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-1692-1_32
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-1692-1_32
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