To assess the role of peripheral sympathetic nerves in the regulation of calcitonin release, rats subjected to superior cervical ganglionectomy (SCGx) 16-28 h earlier were used. The time periods selected allowed us to examine C cell response during the supraliminal release of sympathetic transmitter that accompanies anterograde degeneration of nerve varicosities as well as during the neural paralysis that ensues thereafter. At the time intervals examined, SCGx did not result in significant changes of basal serum calcitonin or Ca levels. The intraperitoneal administration of CaCl2 brought about an impending increase of serum Ca to the same extent in SCGx and sham-operated rats. A significant depression of calcitonin release was observed in rats killed around the time of nerve terminal degeneration (16-21 h post SCGx) but not about 10 h later. Additionally a delay to achieve a maximal calcitonin response was apparent during nerve degeneration. Injection of the alpha-adrenoceptor blocker phenoxybenzamine significantly increased basal calcitonin levels and restored the depressed calcitonin response to hypercalcemia seen in SCGx rats. Treatment with the beta-adrenoceptor-blocker propranolol counteracted phenoxybenzamine activity but was unable to modify per se calcitonin release in SCGx or sham-operated rats. Basal Ca levels and their increase after intraperitoneal CaCl2 were similar in all examined groups regardless of the drug injected. In an additional experiment phenoxybenzamine injected into SCGx rats in doses one-fifth those employed earlier still reversed both the depression in maximal calcitonin response as well as the delay to attain maximal release after CaCl2, but was unable to affect basal calcitonin levels.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)