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Epinephrine plays a central role in the short-term stress reaction—the physiological response to conditions that threaten the physical integrity of the body. It is secreted by the adrenal medulla. When released into the bloodstream, epinephrine causes many diverse occurrences by binding to multiple receptors in the body. It acts to increase heart rate and strength of contractions, dilate the pupils and constriction of blood flow restricts blood flow in arterioles in the skin and gut. Vessels dialate in the arterioles of the leg muscle. It breaks down glycogen and synthesizes glucose in the liver cells for energy, and at the same time, begins the breakdown of lipids in fat cells. It also elevates the blood sugar level (by increased hydrolysis of glycogen to glucose), and redistribute blood flow away from the skin and inner organs.

Epinephrine is used as a drug in order to stimulate cardiac action in cardiac arrest, as a vasoconstrictorA vasoconstrictor is any substance that acts to constrict blood vessels, i. make the lumen narrow. Many vasoconstrictors act on specific receptors, such as vasopressin receptors or adrenoreceptors. Vasoconstrictors are also used clinically to increase blo in anaphylactic shock and sepsisSepsis is a serious medical condition caused by a severe systemic infection leading to a systemic inflammatory response. The more critical subsets of sepsis include severe sepsis (sepsis with organ dysfunction) and septic shock (sepsis with refractory art, and as a bronchodilatorA bronchodilator is a medication intended to improve bronchial airflow. Treatment of bronchial asthma is the most common application of these drugs. They are also intended to help expand the airways and improve the breathing capacity of patients with emph in acute bronchial asthmaAsthma is an immunological disease which causes difficulty in breathing. It is a form of type I hypersensitivity in which the bronchioles in the lungs are narrowed by inflammation and spasm of the lining of the airway wall. A person with asthma may experi. Allergy patients undergoing immunotherapyImmunotherapy is a disease treatment based upon the concept of triggering the body's own natural defenses to fight off the disease, usually by stimulating the immune system either locally or systemically. Oncology represents one of the most actively resea can get an epinephrine rinse before their allergan extract is administered. Adverse reactions include palpitations, tachycardiaTachycardia is an abnormally rapid beating of the heart, defined as a resting heart rate of over 100 beats per minute. It can have harmful effects in two ways. First, when the heart beats too rapidly, it performs inefficiently (since there is not enough t, anxiety, headache, tremor, hypertension, and acute pulmonary oedema.

A pheochromocytoma is a tumor of the adrenal gland (or, rarely, the ganglia of the sympathetic nervous system) which secretes excessive amounts of catecholamines, usually epinephrine.

Chemically, epinephrine is a catecholamine hormone, a sympathomimetic monoamine derived from the amino acids phenylalanine and tyrosine. The chemical formula of epinephrine is C₉ H₁₃ N O₃. Its structure is shown right.

Epinephrine was first isolated and identified in 1897 by John Jacob Abel. Jokichi Takamine discovered the same hormone in 1901, without knowing about the previous discovery, and called it adrenaline. It was first artificially synthesized in 1904 by Friedrich Stolz.