The effects of intracoeliac injections of alpha-adrenergic agonists and veratridine on reticuloruminal motility and the evocation of rumination in sheep.

The ability of alpha-2 adrenoreceptor agonists and veratridine to evoke rumination and to modify reticular motility in adult Suffolk-cross sheep when injected by close-arterial injection into the forestomach was investigated. The specific alpha-2 adrenoreceptor agonists, xylazine and medetomidine, evoked rumination and increased reticular motility. The Na+ channel activator veratridine also evoked rumination and dramatically increased reticular motility. In contrast, injection of the alpha-1 adrenoreceptor agonist, phenylephrine, was ineffectual in evoking rumination and resulted in reduced reticular motility. It is concluded that the evocation of rumination by alpha-2 adrenergic agonists and veratridine is probably due to the activation of sensory nervous receptors (epithelial receptors) located in the reticulorumen.