What is the function of adrenaline?
Sep 18, 2025
Source: Cainiu Health
Dr. Yang Ziqi
Introduction
Under normal circumstances, epinephrine, as an important hormone and medication, has primary effects including regulating blood pressure, responding to stress, relieving allergic symptoms, improving cardiac function, and constricting local blood vessels. When using epinephrine as a drug, it is essential to strictly follow professional guidance, control dosage and administration methods, and avoid adverse reactions caused by improper use.
Under normal circumstances, epinephrine, as an important hormone and medication, has several key effects including regulating blood pressure, responding to stress, relieving allergic symptoms, improving cardiac function, and constricting local blood vessels. The specific details are as follows:
1. Regulating blood pressure: Epinephrine acts on blood vessels by causing arterioles and capillaries to constrict, while simultaneously enhancing myocardial contractility, thereby increasing blood pressure. In emergencies such as hypotension or shock, this action helps maintain adequate blood pressure and ensures sufficient blood supply to vital organs.
2. Responding to stress: When the body faces stressful situations such as danger or anxiety, the adrenal glands secrete epinephrine. This hormone accelerates glycogen breakdown to rapidly provide energy, increases respiratory rate and heart rate, and prepares the body to better respond to external stimuli.
3. Relieving allergic symptoms: In cases of severe allergic reactions, epinephrine can reduce bronchospasm and alleviate breathing difficulties. It also counteracts the drop in blood pressure caused by vasodilation, quickly relieving symptoms such as skin itching and laryngeal edema, thus buying time for further treatment.
4. Improving cardiac function: Epinephrine directly acts on the heart to enhance myocardial contractility, increase heart rate, and improve cardiac pumping capacity. In life-threatening conditions like cardiac arrest, it can be used to stimulate the heart to resume beating and maintain circulation.
5. Constricting local blood vessels: When used as a medication, epinephrine constricts local blood vessels, reducing localized bleeding. For example, during surgery, it is often mixed with local anesthetics to prolong the anesthetic effect and minimize bleeding at the surgical site.
When using epinephrine as a medication, it is essential to strictly follow professional guidance regarding dosage and administration method to avoid adverse reactions due to improper use and ensure its beneficial effects are achieved safely.
