Influence of the skin temperature on the axon reflex pilomotion produced by nicotine in human skin.

Intradermal injection of nicotine dissolved in normal saline in a concentration of 10(-5)g/ml produced axon reflex pilomotion, which was observed as goose flesh on the flexor surface of the forearm in human. The skin temperature was changed by immersing the forearm in a water bath at 22 to 45 degrees C. When the skin temperature was neutral as 32.5 degrees C, goose flesh appeared at about 5 sec and reached its maximal spread at about 25 sec, then it became smaller and disappeared at 1 min 30 sec. When the skin temperature was lower, its onset was delayed and its duration was longer. At higher temperature, time course of goose flesh was shortened. With a device of controlling temperature of receptor and effector portion independently, it was found that enhancement of goose flesh at lower temperature was due to a nature of the effector and the responsiveness of the receptor to nicotine was constant in a range from 20 to 40 degrees C. Reaction of the receptor to temperature was pharmacologically similar to that of autonomic ganglion.