Cold exposure activates the sympathetic nervous system and markedly stimulates glucose uptake in rat peripheral tissues [A. L. Vallerand, F. Pérusse, and L. J. Bukowiecki. Am. J. Physiol 259 (Regulatory Integrative Comp. Physiol. 28): R1043-R1049, 1990]. To test whether norepinephrine (NE) mimics the effects of cold exposure, we estimated the effects of chronic NE treatment on tissue glucose uptake by determining the glucose metabolic index using the 2-[1,2-3H(N)]deoxy-D-glucose method. NE was administered in conscious rats at various doses (ranging from 1.9 to 25.1 nmol.kg-1.min-1) during 4 days via minipumps implanted subcutaneously. At doses > 10 nmol.kg-1.min-1, NE maximally stimulated glucose uptake in interscapular brown adipose tissue (approximately 50 times above controls) and epididymal white adipose tissue (approximately 3 times above controls). NE infusion (18.8 nmol.kg-1.min-1) increased the circulating levels of NE from 1.1 +/- 0.1 to 19.2 +/- 0.4 nM (P < 0.001), which is in the range of concentrations for the stimulatory effects of NE on glucose uptake in isolated brown adipocytes. At all concentrations tested, NE infusion did not stimulate glucose uptake in the heart and skeletal muscles. NE treatment did not significantly alter plasma insulin or glucose levels but increased the concentration of circulating free fatty acids. The capacity of brown adipose tissue for NE stimulation of glucose uptake (expressed per g of tissue) was much higher than that of white adipose tissue (100 times), various types of white or red skeletal muscles (10-80 times), or the heart (3-4 times).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)