Postsynaptic alpha 1-and alpha 2-adrenoceptor involvement in the vascular responses to neuronally released and exogenous noradrenaline in the hindlimb of the dog and cat

Contribution of alpha2-adrenoceptors and Y1 neuropeptide Y receptors to the blunting of sympathetic vasoconstriction induced by systemic hypoxia in the rat

There is evidence that sympathetically evoked vasoconstriction in skeletal muscle is blunted in systemic hypoxia, but the mechanisms underlying this phenomenon are not clear. In Saffan-anaesthetized Wistar rats, we have studied the role of α₂-adrenoceptors and neuropeptide Y (NPY) Y₁ receptors in mediating vasoconstriction evoked by direct stimulation of the lumbar sympathetic chain by different patterns of impulses in normoxia (N) and systemic hypoxia (H: breathing 8% O₂). Patterns comprised 120 impulses delivered in bursts over a 1 min period at 40 or 20 Hz, or continuously at 2 Hz. Hypoxia attenuated the evoked increases in femoral vascular resistance (FVR) by all patterns, the response to 2 Hz being most affected (40 Hz bursts: N = 3.25 ± 0.75 arbitrary resistance units (RU); H = 1.14 ± 0.29 RU). Yohimbine (Yoh, α₂-adrenoceptor antagonist) or BIBP 3226 (Y₁-receptor antagonist) did not affect baseline FVR. In normoxia, Yoh attenuated the responses evoked by high frequency bursts and 2 Hz, whereas BIBP 3226 only attenuated the response to 40 Hz (40 Hz bursts: N + Yoh = 2.1 ± 0.59 RU; N + BIBP 3226 = 1.9 ± 0.4 RU). In hypoxia, Yoh did not further attenuate the evoked responses, but BIBP 3226 further attenuated the response to 40 Hz bursts. These results indicate that neither α₂-adrenoceptors nor Y₁ receptors contribute to basal vascular tone in skeletal muscle, but both contribute to constrictor responses evoked by high frequency bursts of sympathetic activity. We propose that in systemic hypoxia, the α₂-mediated component represents about 50% of the sympathetically evoked constriction that is blunted, whereas the contribution made by Y₁ receptors is resistant. Thus we suggest the importance of NPY in the regulation of FVR and blood pressure increases during challenges such as systemic hypoxia.

In vivo analysis of adrenergic and serotoninergic constrictions of the rabbit saphenous vein

We aimed to develop a model to study in vivo the rabbit saphenous vein pharmacology and to investigate constrictions mediated by adrenoceptor and 5-HT receptor subtypes. We used the technique of high precision ultrasonic echo-tracking for direct measurement of saphenous vein diameters in pentobarbital anesthetized rabbits. Saphenous vein constrictions induced in rabbits by the alpha(1)-adrenoceptor agonist L-phenylephrine and the 5-HT(1B) receptor agonist sumatriptan were comparable with those induced in dogs but those induced by the 5-HT(1B) and 5-HT(7) receptor agonist 5-carboxamidotryptamine failed to appear in dogs. Dose-related constrictions of rabbit veins were obtained with L-phenylephrine and the alpha(2)-adrenoceptor agonist dexmedetomidine. Frequency-related constrictions of rabbit veins induced by nerve stimulation were partially inhibited by an alpha(1)-adrenoceptor or a postsynaptic alpha(2)-adrenoceptor antagonist (prazosin and SKF 104,078) but not affected by the pre- and post-synaptic alpha(2)-adrenoceptor antagonists BRL 44408 or rauwolscine. Constrictions of rabbit veins to sumatriptan and 5-CT were inhibited by GR 127935 and those induced by quipazine, a 5-HT(2) receptor agonist were prevented by ritanserin. The initial constrictions induced by 5-CT were followed by dilatations which were inhibited by the 5-HT(7) receptor antagonist mesulergine. These data indicate that rabbit saphenous veins, in vivo and at rest, respond to activation of 5-HT(1B) and 5-HT(2) receptors, alpha(1)- and alpha(2)-adrenoceptors and nerve stimulation; the dilator effect mediated by 5-HT(7) receptor activation was also detected. The data validate a new animal model to study superficial vein reactivity and its pharmacological sensitivity.

alpha-adrenergic vasoconstriction in active skeletal muscles during dynamic exercise

Sympathetic vasoconstriction in working muscles during dynamic exercise has been demonstrated by intra-arterial administration of alpha(1)-adrenergic antagonists. The purpose of this study was to examine the existence of alpha(1)- and alpha(2)-adrenergic receptor-mediated vasoconstriction in active skeletal muscles during exercise. Six mongrel dogs were instrumented chronically with flow probes on the external iliac arteries of both hindlimbs, and a catheter was inserted in one femoral artery. All dogs ran on a motorized treadmill at three exercise intensities (3 miles/h, 6 miles/h, and 6 miles/h at 10% grade) on separate days. After 5 min of exercise, a selective alpha(1)- (prazosin) or a selective alpha(2)-adrenergic antagonist (rauwolscine) was infused as a bolus into the femoral arterial catheter (only one drug per day). The doses of the antagonists were adjusted to maintain the same effective concentration at each exercise intensity. At the mild, moderate, and heavy workloads prazosin infusion produced immediate increases in iliac conductance of 65 +/- 9, 35 +/- 6, and 18 +/- 4% (means +/- SE), respectively, and increases in blood flow of 290 +/- 24, 216 +/- 23, and 172 +/- 18 ml/min, respectively. Rauwolscine infusion produced increases in conductance of 52 +/- 5%, 36 +/- 5%, and 26 +/- 3%, respectively, and blood flow increases of 250 +/- 34, 244 +/- 39, and 259 +/- 35 ml/min at the three workloads. Systemic blood pressure and blood flow in the contralateral iliac artery were unaffected by any of the antagonist infusions. These results demonstrate that there is ongoing alpha(1)- and alpha(2)-adrenergic receptor-mediated vasoconstriction in exercising skeletal muscles even at heavy workloads and that the magnitude of vasoconstriction decreases as exercise intensity increases.

Characterization of subtype of alpha1-adrenoceptor mediating vasoconstriction in perfused rat hind limb

The subtype of alpha1-adrenoceptor mediating the exogenous noradrenaline-induced vasopressor response in perfused rat hind limb was determined by functional measurements and radioligand binding assays. The potencies (pA2 values) of alpha1A-adrenoceptor-selective antagonists, RS-17053 (N-[2-(2-cyclopropylmethoxy-phenoxy) ethyl]-5-chloro-alpha,alpha-dimethyl-1H-indole-3-ethanamine hydrochloride), WB 4101 (2-(2,6-dimethoxyphenoxyethyl) aminomethyl-1,4 benzodioxane), 5-methyl-urapidil, and the alpha1D-adrenoceptor-selective antagonist, BMY 7378 (8-[2-[4-(2-methoxyphenyl)-1-piperazinyl]ethyl]-8-azaspirol[4.5]de cane-7,9-dione), to inhibit the noradrenaline-induced vasopressor response determined by Schild plot were 9.47 +/- 0.21, 9.48 +/- 0.19, 8.10 +/- 0.27 and 6.66 +/- 0.14, respectively, with no slope significantly different from unity. The affinities (K(i) values) of these antagonists were determined by displacement of 125I-BE 2254 (2-beta(4-hydroxyphenyl)-ethylaminomethyl)-tetralone) binding from the cloned alpha1a-, alpha1b-, alpha1d-adrenoceptor, stably expressed in human embryonic kidney (HEK) 293 cells. The pA2 values of the above antagonists correlated well with the binding K(i) values only for alphaIA-adrenoceptors (r = 0.93), but not for alpha1B-adrenoceptors (r = 0.51) and alpha1D-adrenoceptors (r = 0.13). The concentration-vasopressor response curve for noradrenaline was not significantly affected by pretreatment with 50 microM chloroethylclonidine for 30 min. The results suggest that only alpha1A-adrenoceptors mediate the noradrenaline-induced vasopressor response in perfused rat hind limb.

Effects of MPC-1304, a novel Ca2+ entry blocker, on alpha-adrenoceptor-mediated pressor responses in pithed rats

MPC-1304 is a novel Ca2+ entry blocker of the 1,4-dihydropyridine type. In the present study, the effect of oral administration of MPC-1304 on alpha-adrenoceptor-mediated pressor responses was examined in pithed rats and compared with that of nifedipine. Drugs were administered orally to conscious animals before pithing. MPC-1304 (0.3-3 mg/kg) and nifedipine (1-10 mg/kg) inhibited pressor responses to norepinephrine, phenylephrine (alpha 1-adrenoceptor agonist), UK-14304 (alpha 2-adrenoceptor agonist), and sympathetic nerve (spinal cord segments) stimulation. MPC-1304 was roughly 3 times more potent than nifedipine in inhibiting these responses. The inhibitory effect of MPC-1304 (3 mg/kg) on the pressor response to UK-14304 lasted longer than that of nifedipine (3 mg/kg). At the same time, plasma concentrations of MPC-1304 were lower than those of nifedipine. These results suggest that MPC-1304 has a great ability to inhibit pressor responses to norepinephrine and peripheral sympathetic stimulation after its oral administration, and that this effect of MPC-1304 is closely correlated with its potent antihypertensive activity.

Frequency- and train length-dependent variation in the roles of postjunctional alpha 1- and alpha 2-adrenoceptors for the field stimulation-induced neurogenic contraction of rat tail artery

The present paper examines the roles of postjunctional alpha 1- and alpha 2-adrenoceptors for the noradrenaline (NA)-induced neurogenic contractile response to field stimulation mainly with 1-100 pulses at 2 or 20 Hz, in the tail artery of adult normotensive rats. Pharmacological tools were employed to isolate and characterize the alpha 1- and alpha 2-adrenoceptor-mediated components of this response. The degree to which the drugs influenced NA release or reuptake was assessed by their effects on the electrochemically determined, stimulation-induced rise in the NA concentration at the innervated outer surface of the media. This response was unaffected by alpha,beta-methylene ATP (10 microM) or suramin (500 microM), added to desensitize or block P2-purinoceptors, respectively prazosin (0.1 microM) or SK&F 104078 (6-chloro-9-[(3-methyl-2-butenyl)oxyl]-3-methyl- 1H-2,3,4,5-tetrohydro-3-benzazepine, 0.1 microM), used to block postjunctional alpha 1- and alpha 2-adrenoceptors respectively, nifedipine (10 microM), blocker of Ca2+ influx through L-type channels, and ryanodine (10 microM), which blocks mobilization of Ca2+ from intracellular stores; it was moderately enhanced by yohimbine (0.1 microM), blocker of pre- and postjunctional alpha 2-adrenoceptors, and strongly enhanced by cocaine (3 microM) or desipramine (1 microM), blockers of NA reuptake. Judging from their inhibitory effects on the contractile responses to the alpha 1- and alpha 2-adrenoceptor agonists, phenylephrine and xylazine, prazosin (0.1 microM) and SK&F 104078 (0.1 microM) could be used to selectively block alpha 1- and alpha 2-adrenoceptors respectively, while yohimbine (0.1 microM) was less selective, strongly depressing alpha 2- and slightly depressing alpha 1-adrenoceptor-mediated responses. The alpha 1-adrenoceptor-mediated component of the contractile response to short trains at 20 Hz was fast in onset, brief in duration and abolished by ryanodine; that mediated by alpha 2-adrenoceptors was more delayed, prolonged and insensitive to ryanodine. Both components were dose-dependently depressed by nifedipine (0.1-10 microM). The small contractile responses to single pulses, or up to 50 pulses at 2 Hz, or short train (< 4 pulses) at 20 Hz, were more markedly depressed by 0.1 microM yohimbine or SK&F 104078 than by 0.1 microM prazosin and, hence, mediated mainly by alpha 2-adrenoceptors. The reverse was true of the much larger response to longer trains at 20 Hz, which thus probably was mediated mainly by alpha 1-adrenoceptors.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Blockade of retinal NMDA receptors by sodium nitroprusside is probably due to nitric oxide formation

Effects of a nitric oxide (NO)-producing agent, sodium nitroprusside, on N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor activation in the cultured retinal neurons of rats were examined. NMDA in a Mg(2+)-free medium evoked inward currents at the resting membrane potential. Inward currents were also evoked by kainate. Sodium nitroprusside markedly reduced the NMDA-induced currents without affecting those induced by kainate. These results suggest the possible existence of a negative feed back system of NO which serves to regulate the activation of NMDA receptors in retinal neurons.

Effects of thoracic epidural anesthesia and adrenoceptor blockade on the cardiovascular response to dopamine in the dog

The cardiovascular effects of dopamine are different before and during thoracic epidural anesthesia (TEA). To evaluate underlying adrenoceptor-mediated mechanisms, dopamine effects were investigated in nine chloralose-anesthetized dogs. The circulatory response to dopamine (0-40 micrograms.kg-1.min-1) was studied before and during TEA, and during TEA after introducing the alpha 1-antagonist prazosin (0.3 mg.kg-1), the alpha 2-antagonist rauwolscine (0.3 mg.kg-1), and the beta 1-antagonist metoprolol (0.5 mg.kg-1). TEA decreased mean arterial pressure (MAP) by 29%, cardiac output (CO) by 36%, heart rate (HR) by 27%, and the maximum rate of change of left ventricular pressure (LVdP/dt) by 52%. Systemic vascular resistance, pulmonary vascular resistance and mean pulmonary artery pressure (MPAP) remained unaltered by TEA. Dopamine-induced increases in MAP and HR were augmented by TEA. Both MAP and LVdP/dt increased above pre-TEA levels at 10 micrograms.kg-1.min-1. Prazosin attenuated the increases in MAP and MPAP by dopamine. Adding rauwolscine almost abolished the dopamine response in MAP and MPAP. Metoprolol almost eliminated the dopamine effects on CO and LVdP/dt. Only minor alterations in cardiac filling pressures were observed during the study. Plasma norepinephrine (NE) concentration was lower during than before TEA at corresponding dopamine infusion rates. NE was reduced by the beta 1-blockade. During TEA, the plasma dopamine levels were generally higher, and they were further increased by adding beta 1-blockade. In conclusion, myocardial contractility and arterial pressure were restored to pre-TEA values by dopamine at 5-10 micrograms.kg-1.min-1.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Differential activation of alpha 1- and alpha 2-adrenoceptors on microvascular smooth muscle during sympathetic nerve stimulation

The relative contribution of postjunctional alpha 1- and alpha 2-adrenoceptors to constriction of microvessels was examined during sympathetic nerve stimulation and sympathetic escape (difference between peak and steady-state constriction). Large arterioles (120 +/- 4 microns control diameter) and venules (174 +/- 6 microns) and small arterioles (13 +/- 4 microns) were examined in rat cremaster skeletal muscle during stimulation of the cremaster efferent innervation (decentralized lumbar sympathetic chain, 0.5-16 Hz, 2-minute train). The muscle was suspended in a tissue bath, and diameter was measured with intravital microscopy. Frequency-response curves were obtained after vehicle (prazosin or rauwolscine) was added to the bath. In large arterioles, prazosin (10(-7) M) significantly attenuated constriction by 60-80%; a fivefold higher concentration had no additional effect. In contrast, rauwolscine (1 to 5 x 10(-7) M) had no effect. Venules evidenced minimal response to nerve stimulation. In small arterioles, rauwolscine (5 x 10(-7) M) significantly attenuated constriction by 50-60%, while prazosin (10(-7) M) had no effect. These data suggest that for large arterioles, which are known to possess both receptors, alpha 1-adrenoceptors are preferentially stimulated by nerve-released norepinephrine. In contrast, sympathetic constriction of small arterioles is mediated by alpha 2-adrenoceptors. Compared with large arterioles, small arterioles exhibited greater peak and steady-state constriction at all frequencies, with maximal responses achieved over the 0.5-4 Hz range. Large arterioles exhibit graded constriction over the entire frequency range. Sympathetic escape exhibited a small, negatively correlated frequency dependence for large arterioles, tended to be greater for small arterioles, and was more evident in large arterioles during alpha 2-adrenoceptor constriction at low-frequency stimulation. This distinct neural control of large resistance vessels by alpha 1-adrenoceptors and small terminal arterioles by alpha 2-adrenoceptors may allow neurogenic regulation of these vessel segments to be differentially susceptible to modulation by other extrinsic and intrinsic vasoactive controls that preferentially interact with alpha 1- and alpha 2-adrenergic contractile mechanisms.

Differential effects of calcium antagonists and Bay K 8644 on contractile responses to exogenous noradrenaline and adrenergic nerve stimulation in the rabbit ear artery

1. The effects of three calcium antagonists (nifedipine, verapamil, diltiazem) and the calcium agonist Bay K 8644 were compared on contractile responses of similar amplitude elicited by noradrenaline (NA) and electrical nerve stimulation (ENS) in the rabbit isolated ear artery. 2. Contractions induced by both NA (3 x 10(-7) M) and ENS (10 Hz, 10s) were almost exclusively mediated by alpha 1-adrenoceptors, since 10(-7) M prazosin abolished (NA) or almost abolished (ENS) the responses, and prazosin was more than three orders of magnitude more potent than rauwolscine on both types of response. 3. ENS-induced contractions were considerably less inhibited by nifedipine, verapamil and diltiazem than were those elicited by NA. Bay K 8644 enhanced responses to NA more than those to ENS. 4. The inhibitory effect of nifedipine and Ca2+ deprivation on NA-induced contractions decreased with increasing NA concentration. Reduction of the NA response by prazosin or phenoxybenzamine increased the nifedipine inhibition. 5. Reduction of the ENS-induced contractions by prazosin or phenoxybenzamine, or by use of a lower stimulation frequency did not increase the inhibitory effect of nifedipine. 6. In conclusion, the differential effects of the calcium antagonists on NA- and ENS-induced contractions were not related to differences in alpha-adrenoceptor subtype (alpha 1/alpha 2), receptor reserve or response amplitude, but may rather reflect temporal and spatial differences in alpha-adrenoceptor activation between the responses.

Pharmacologic basis for the use of doxazosin in the treatment of essential hypertension

The drug treatment of mild hypertension has been shown to afford protection against fatal and nonfatal strokes, congestive heart failure, progression to more severe levels of hypertension, and all-cause mortality, but not against the complications of coronary artery disease. The lack of benefit against coronary artery disease may result from failure to reduce other risk factors or because the drugs employed increased coronary risk. It can be taken as axiomatic that effective preventive antihypertensive therapy is more likely with drugs with mechanisms and sites of action that are focused on the underlying pathophysiology than with drugs that lower blood pressure by means unrelated to the hypertensive process. Adrenergic predominance plays a major role in the initiation and maintenance of essential hypertension and, consequently, the alpha-adrenergic receptor inhibitors were among the first substances to receive serious consideration as antihypertensive agents. However, since these drugs are nonselective, feedback control of transmitter norepinephrine was lost and, consequently, the clinical expectations of the early alpha-adrenergic receptor inhibitors in the treatment of high blood pressure were not fulfilled. The discovery of selective postjunctional alpha 1-adrenergic-receptor inhibitors, such as prazosin and doxazosin, which preserve feedback control of transmitter norepinephrine release, was the crucially important step in the development of specific drugs to combat the hyperactivity of adrenergic vasoconstrictor nerves in hypertension. These drugs have been shown to normalize hemodynamics in hypertensive patients. They lower blood pressure through a reduction in peripheral resistance at rest and during exercise, independent of changes in heart rate and blood pressure, with minimal reflex activation or tolerance development. Alpha 1-adrenergic-receptor inhibitors, such as prazosin and doxazosin, represent an attractive choice for initial therapy in all grades of hypertension and are especially appropriate in hypertensive patients with congestive heart failure, asthma and chronic obstructive airways disease, renal impairment, diabetes mellitus, hyperlipidemia, benign prostatic hyperplasia, or gout, and in those involved in vigorous work, sports, or exercise. There are no known contraindications to these drugs, except in patients who are sensitive to quinazolines.

Adrenergic and purinergic neurotransmission in arterial resistance vessels of the cat intestinal circulation

The contribution of adrenoceptors and purine receptors in mediating neurogenic vasoconstriction was investigated in the autoperfused intestinal circulation of anaesthetised cats treated with atropine and propranolol. Prazosin (0.5 mg/kg) and yohimbine (1.5 mg/kg) reduced but did not abolish the vasoconstrictor responses to stimulation of the efferent sympathetic nerves. The inhibitory actions of the two antagonists were additive but even after alpha 1- and alpha 2-adrenoceptor blockade nerve stimulation still elicited a residual, frequency-related vasoconstriction. The initial, rapid, phase of this response was completely abolished after desensitisation of P2x-purinoceptors with a high dose (1.5 mg i.a.) of alpha,beta-methylene ATP. In the absence of alpha-adrenoceptor antagonists, alpha,beta-methylene ATP reduced neurogenic vasoconstriction particularly at low frequency (1 Hz) nerve stimulation, but also caused a short-lasting decrease in noradrenaline and methoxamine responses which indicates that the drug may have some non-specific effects on arterial smooth muscle. The results suggest that neurotransmission in arterial resistance vessels of the cat intestinal circulation is predominantly under adrenergic control mediated by postsynaptic alpha 1- and alpha 2-adrenoceptors, with a possible purine involvement in the initial rapid response of the blood vessels, particularly to low frequency nerve stimulation.

Role of alpha-adrenoceptor subtypes mediating sympathetic vasoconstriction in human digits

The effects of intra-arterial administration of alpha-1 and alpha-2 adrenoceptor agonists and antagonists on human digital blood flow were studied before and during reflex sympathetic vasoconstriction in normal subjects. Total finger flow was measured by venous occlusion air plethysmography and capillary flow by the disappearance rate of a radioisotope from a local injection in a fingerpad. Intra-arterial phenylephrine (0.2-1.3 micrograms min-1) and clonidine (0.12-0.48 micrograms min-1) produced dose-related decreases in finger blood flow and increases in vascular resistance. Clonidine was the more potent vasoconstrictor. Prazosin (0.4-3 micrograms min-1) effectively blocked the vasoconstrictor effect of phenylephrine but not clonidine, while yohimbine (30-70 micrograms min-1) blocked the effect of clonidine but not phenylephrine. In a 20 degrees C room, prazosin (0.4-13.2 micrograms min-1) caused no significant changes in finger blood flow (7.7 +/- 2.1 to 11.7 +/- 3.3 ml min-1 100 ml-1) or vascular resistance (30.9 +/- 8.8 to 28.1 +/- 8.7 mmHg ml-1 min-1 100 ml-1). In the 20 degrees C room, yohimbine (30-70 micrograms min-1) produced a significant increase in finger blood flow (7.8 +/- 2.8 to 23.4 +/- 6.8 ml, P less than 0.01) and decrease in vascular resistance (20.5 +/- 5.7 to 6.0 +/- 2.2 units, P less than 0.01). No significant changes occurred in finger capillary flow with prazosin or yohimbine infusions. It is concluded that alpha-1 and alpha-2 adrenoceptors are present in human digital vasculature and that alpha-2 adrenoceptors are more important than alpha-1 adrenoceptors in sympathetic neural vasoconstriction.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Contraction of urinary bladder by central norepinephrine originating in the locus coeruleus

Studies were performed to elucidate the role of the locus coeruleus, which is rich in norepinephrine-containing cell bodies, in vesical function using alpha-chloralose anesthetized cats. Stimulation of the locus coeruleus caused contraction of the urinary bladder, which was not affected by transection of the bilateral hypogastric nerves, but blocked by intravenous administration of hexamethonium, a ganglion blocking agent. In animals with transected hypogastric nerves, the locus coeruleus-induced contraction was inhibited by intrathecal administration of phentolamine (alpha-blocker) and prazosin (alpha 1-blocker), but not affected by intrathecal sotalol (beta-blocker) or yohimbine (alpha 2-blocker). In animals treated with reserpine, the locus coeruleus-induced contraction was enhanced by intravenous application of L-dopa, a precursor of norepinephrine. These results suggest that norepinephrine derived from the locus coeruleus activated preganglionic neurons in the sacral intermediolateral nuclei via alpha 1-receptors, thereby producing urinary bladder contraction.

In situ analysis of alpha-adrenoceptors on arteriolar and venular smooth muscle in rat skeletal muscle microcirculation

The purpose of this study was to determine whether both alpha 1- and alpha 2-adrenergic receptors exist on vascular smooth muscle of microvessels and whether adrenergic constriction of anatomically distinct microvascular segments is differentially subserved by either receptor subtype. The cremaster skeletal muscle of anesthetized rats was acutely denervated and suspended in a Krebs bath containing cocaine, normetanephrine, and propranolol to block uptake1, uptake2, and beta-receptors, respectively. Intravital microscopy was used to study large distributing arterioles (mean diameter, 100 microns), small precapillary arterioles (25 microns), and capacitance venules (140 microns). Concentration-response (diameter change) curves were obtained for bath-added agonists norepinephrine (mixed alpha 1/alpha 2), phenylephrine (alpha 1), and B-HT 933 (alpha 2) in the absence or presence of antagonists prazosin (alpha 1) and yohimbine (alpha 2). Apparent pD2(-log ED50) values for large arterioles and venules were, respectively, as follows: norepinephrine (7.41 and 7.15), phenylephrine (5.95 and 5.41), and B-HT 933 (5.05 and 5.06). Low concentrations of prazosin (10(-8) M) and yohimbine (10(-7) M) produced receptor subtype-selective antagonism and parallel, dextral displacement of norepinephrine curves for large arterioles and venules. The large arteriole pKB (-log KB) was 7.83 +/- 0.65 for prazosin and 7.36 +/- 0.46 for yohimbine. Higher concentrations of prazosin (10(-7) and 3 X 10(-7) M) and yohimbine (10(-6) M) produced further dextral but nonparallel displacement of norepinephrine curves. In contrast, receptor subtype-selective concentrations of only yohimbine inhibited adrenergic constriction of small, precapillary arterioles; but prazosin had no effect at receptor subtype-selective concentrations. These data suggest that adrenergic regulation of large arterioles and venules in skeletal muscle uses both alpha 1- and alpha 2-adrenoceptors. Precapillary arterioles, however, may be subserved predominantly by alpha 2-receptors.

Postjunctional alpha 2-adrenoceptors mediate venoconstriction in the hindquarters circulation of anaesthetized cats

1 A study was made of the subtypes of postjunctional alpha-adrenoceptors which mediate arterial and venous constriction in the hindquarters circulation of anaesthetized cats, as measured by changes in perfusion pressure and vena cava blood flow, respectively. 2 It was found that, while noradrenaline caused constriction in both the arterial and venous compartments, methoxamine caused only arterial constriction. Clonidine and B-HT 920 also caused arterial and venous constriction although autodesensitization to both drugs occurred. 3 The ability of either prazosin or yohimbine to antagonize the constrictor effects of noradrenaline was also examined. It was found that the combination of both antagonist drugs abolished both the arterial and venous constrictor effects of noradrenaline. However, there was a greater prazosin-resistant response to noradrenaline in the venous compartment as compared with the arterial effects of noradrenaline. Yohimbine caused approximately equal reductions in the effect of noradrenaline in both arteries and veins, which was greater than that observed with prazosin. 4 These results suggest that, in the cat hindquarters, both alpha 1- and alpha 2-adrenoceptors are present in the arterial circulation, whereas there are mainly alpha 2-adrenoceptors in the venous circulation.

The role of alpha 1- and alpha 2-adrenoceptors in the coronary vasoconstrictor responses to neuronally released and exogenous noradrenaline in the dog

1. Coronary vasoconstriction was examined in response to the neuronal release of noradrenaline produced by bilateral carotid occlusion and the infusion of tyramine (5-50 micrograms/kg/min i.v.) in anaesthetized dogs which had been vagotomized and treated with the beta-adrenoceptor antagonist propranolol (1.0 mg/kg i.v.). These responses were compared to those produced by the infusion of noradrenaline (0.1-0.5 micrograms/kg/min i.v.). 2. Similar increases in late diastolic coronary resistance were produced by bilateral carotid occlusion (0.70 +/- 0.25 mm Hg min/ml), and intravenous infusions of tyramine, 20 micrograms/kg/min (0.70 +/- 0.12 mm Hg min/ml) and noradrenaline, 0.5 micrograms/kg/min (0.59 +/- 0.11 mm Hg min/ml). 3. Selective antagonism at alpha 1-adrenoceptors with prazosin (0.5 mg/kg i.v.) attenuated the coronary constrictor response to bilateral carotid occlusion (0.36 +/- 0.09 mm Hg min/ml), tyramine (0.12 +/- 0.06 mm Hg min/ml) and noradrenaline (0.18 +/- 0.07 mm Hg min/ml). Antagonism at alpha 2-adrenoceptors with idazoxan (1 mg/kg i.v.) attenuated the coronary vasoconstriction produced by bilateral carotid occlusion (0.30 +/- 0.06 mm Hg min/ml), tyramine (0.17 +/- 0.08 mm Hg min/ml) and noradrenaline (0.12 +/- 0.03 mm Hg min/ml). Combined antagonism at both alpha 1- and alpha 2-adrenoceptors with prazosin and idazoxan abolished the responses to bilateral carotid occlusion, tyramine and noradrenaline. 4. These results show that coronary vasoconstriction produced by either neuronally released or exogenous noradrenaline is mediated by both alpha 1- and alpha 2-adrenoceptors. It appears that in the coronary resistance vessels of the dog postjunctional alpha 1- and alpha 2-adrenoceptors are both innervated by sympathetic nerves.

Mechanism of alpha blockade for blood pressure control

The realization that a generalized increase in peripheral vascular resistance was the fundamental hemodynamic abnormality in essential hypertension and that the maintenance of arteriolar tone depended on the continuity of the adrenergic nervous system led to the alpha-adrenoceptor inhibitors being the first substances to receive serious consideration as antihypertensive agents. An agent that inhibited the effect of the adrenergic transmitter at the neuroeffector junction was anticipated to be ideal in inhibiting adrenergic vasoconductor tone. The clinical expectations for these compounds in the treatment of arterial hypertension, however, were not fulfilled. Although they lowered blood pressure, the effect was accompanied by unacceptable side effects such as tachycardia, and tolerance rapidly developed. The realization that transmitter norepinephrine modulates its own release through a prejunctionally located, alpha-adrenoceptor operated control mechanism explained several paradoxical phenomena and suggested exciting therapeutic possibilities. Most important, it provided a plausible if not compelling explanation for the clinical failure of the classic alpha-adrenoceptor inhibitors as antihypertensive agents. Characterization of the prejunctional and postjunctional effects of alpha agonists and antagonists led to the conclusion that prejunctional and postjunctional alpha adrenoceptors differed in receptor structure and led to the identification of prazosin as the first virtually specific alpha-adrenoceptor inhibitor. This was a crucially important step in the development of specific agents to combat adrenergic predominance in essential hypertension. Antihypertensive drugs like prazosin and doxazosin preserve feedback control of transmitter norepinephrine release, and consequently cause minimal reflex activation. They represent an alternative choice for therapy in all grades of hypertension with virtually no contra indicatons to their use.

Pre- and postjunctional alpha-adrenoceptor-mediated effects of prazosin, methoxamine and 6-fluoronoradrenaline in blood-perfused canine skeletal muscle in situ

Pre- and postjunctional effects of the alpha 1-selective adrenoceptor antagonist prazosin and the alpha 1- and alpha 2-selective adrenoceptor agonists methoxamine and 6-fluoronoradrenaline, respectively, were studied in skeletal muscle in situ. Prazosin reduced the vasoconstriction and enhanced the overflow of endogenous noradrenaline elicited by sympathetic nerve stimulation (1-4 Hz, 2 min); the threshold concentration was 10-100 times lower for postjunctional than for prejunctional alpha-adrenoceptor blockade. The enhancement of noradrenaline overflow by prazosin was not inversely frequency-dependent, as shown elsewhere for alpha 2-adrenoceptor antagonists. Thus, different mechanisms may be involved. Inhibition of prostaglandin synthesis by diclofenac did not alter the stimulation-evoked noradrenaline overflow, indicating a minor importance of prostaglandin-mediated transjunctional mechanisms in the modulation of noradrenaline overflow. Methoxamine and 6-fluoronoradrenaline elevated the basal vascular tone and, at higher concentrations, reduced the stimulation-evoked noradrenaline overflow. Methoxamine was 20 times more selective than 6-fluoronoradrenaline for postjunctional receptors. Our results are compatible with a pre- and postjunctional localization of alpha 2-adrenoceptors and a predominantly, but not exclusively, postjunctional localization of alpha 1-adrenoceptors. The postjunctional selectivity for prazosin was less marked than previously reported from in vitro studies. Hence, care should be taken when extrapolating in vitro findings to the more complex in vivo situation.

Effects of alpha-adrenoceptor agonists on cardiac output and its regional distribution in the pithed rat

Cardiac output, its distribution and tissue blood flows were determined with tracer microspheres in pithed rats during pressor responses elicited by either alpha 1-adrenoceptor agonists (cirazoline, phenylephrine) or alpha 2-adrenoceptor agonists (xylaxine, B-HT 933). Two doses were used for each of cirazoline and B-HT 933 and phenylephrine was investigated in the presence of propranolol (3 mg kg-1). The rats were pithed under halothane anaesthesia. Cardiac output was increased by xylazine, the higher dose of B-HT 933 and phenylephrine. Heart rate was increased by phenylephrine and the higher doses of both cirazoline and B-HT 933. Stroke volume was greater in those groups given xylazine, phenylephrine and the higher dose of B-HT 933 but was decreased in those animals given the higher dose of cirazoline. Both alpha 2-adrenoceptor agonists increased the number of microspheres trapped in the lungs and the proportion of the cardiac output passing through the hepatic artery but decreased that flowing through the spleen and gastrointestinal tract. The higher dose of B-HT 933 also decreased the fraction of cardiac output flowing to the kidneys but kidney blood flow was maintained as a result of the increased cardiac output. Also, this treatment reduced blood flow in the epididimal fat pads. Both alpha 1-adrenoceptor agonists increased the fraction of cardiac output received by the coronary vasculature but the only other effect on distribution common to these agents was an increase in the percentage of the cardiac output passing to the hepatic artery. Cirazoline decreased the proportion of cardiac output distributed to the gastrointestinal tract and spleen but the total fraction of cardiac output passing to the hepatosplanchnic region was maintained as a result of the increase to the hepatic artery. Cirazoline markedly reduced the proportion of the cardiac output received by the kidneys and absolute flow in these organs was only 1.4% of control after the higher dose of this agonist but flow at the lower dose was maintained by the higher cardiac output. It is concluded that there is a significant contribution to the pressor responses elicited by alpha-agonists resulting from an alpha-adrenoceptor-mediated increase in cardiac output that may result from greater heart rates or stroke volumes. Also, there is a differential distribution of alpha-receptor subtypes throughout the vasculature which is especially noticeable in the kidneys.

Characterization of alpha-adrenoceptors in the vasculature of the canine nasal mucosa

alpha-Adrenoceptors present in the vasculature of the nasal mucosa in beta-adrenoceptor blocked dogs have been characterized pharmacologically using selective alpha 1- and alpha 2-adrenoceptor agonists and antagonists. In pentobarbitone-anaesthetized dogs, intra-arterial (i.a.) administration of the selective alpha 1-agonists cirazoline and phenylephrine, the selective alpha 2-agonist UK-14,304 and the mixed alpha 1/alpha 2-agonists adrenaline, noradrenaline and oxymetazoline produced dose-related nasal vasoconstrictor responses (as measured by decreases in nasal cavity pressure). The rank order of agonist potency was adrenaline greater than oxymetazoline = UK-14,304 greater than noradrenaline greater than cirazoline greater than phenylephrine. The nasal response to cirazoline was inhibited by the selective alpha 1-adrenoceptor antagonist prazosin but not by the new, potent selective alpha 2-adrenoceptor antagonist RX811059. In contrast, UK-14,304 was inhibited only by RX811059. Either prazosin or RX811059 reduced the effect of the mixed agonist adrenaline. In spinal dogs, the noradrenaline-evoked fall in nasal cavity pressure was reduced by either prazosin or RX811059. Prazosin attenuated markedly the nasal vasoconstrictor response to electrical stimulation of postganglionic fibres emerging from the superior cervical ganglion (SNS) whereas RX811059 was ineffective. Administration of the neuronal re-uptake inhibitor cocaine potentiated the effect of i.a. noradrenaline but reduced marginally the maximal response to SNS. After cocaine, RX811059 enhanced the effect of SNS and attenuated the response to noradrenaline. Prazosin reduced effectively the responses to both SNS and noradrenaline after cocaine. Pretreatment with the alpha 2-agonist UK-14,304 did not affect the response to noradrenaline in the nasal cavity but evoked a persistent (up to 2 h) reduction in the response to SNS. RX811059 antagonized the inhibitory effect of UK-14,304. These results demonstrate that both postjunctional alpha 1- and alpha 2-adrenoceptors mediating vasoconstriction are present in the canine nasal mucosa. In addition, sympathetic neurones innervating the nasal mucosa are characterized by a very efficient re-uptake process and contain prejunctional alpha 2-adrenoceptors.

Analysis of the alpha-adrenoceptor-mediated, and other, components in the sympathetic vasopressor responses of the pithed rat

The vascular receptors activated following sympatho-adrenal stimulation were determined by analysing the effects of 'selective' antagonists on the vasopressor response to spinal sympathetic nerve activation in the pithed rat. The net vascular response to adrenal stimulation was a balance between alpha-adrenoceptor-mediated vasoconstriction and beta-adrenoceptor-mediated vasodepression. Part of the alpha-adrenoceptor-mediated response was 'prazosin-sensitive' (alpha 1) and the remainder was abolished by rauwolscine (alpha 2). As with adrenal stimulation, direct sympathetic nerve stimulation of the vasculature evoked pressor responses which were partly resistant to prazosin. Rauwolscine only partly blocked the prazosin-sensitive component. Reserpine pretreatment led to smaller responses than prazosin plus rauwolscine. Thus, the response resistant to alpha-adrenoceptor antagonists could be mediated, in part, by adrenoceptors distinct from alpha-adrenoceptors, as currently defined. alpha, beta-Methylene ATP reduced the nerve-mediated pressor response after alpha-adrenoceptor blockade or reserpine pretreatment but not in drug-free controls. The results suggest that stimulation of the adrenal medulla can produce a vasopressor response which consists of summating alpha 1- and alpha 2-adrenoceptor-mediated components, and is identical to the effect of injected adrenaline. In contrast, the response to vasopressor nerve stimulation appears to be essentially mediated by alpha 1-adrenoceptors, with a facilitatory influence from alpha 2-adrenoceptors. A further response obtained after alpha-adrenoceptor blockade may contain a purinergic component and another which is adrenergic but not mediated by stimulation of alpha-adrenoceptors.

Neuronally released norepinephrine does not preferentially activate postjunctional alpha 1-adrenoceptors in human blood vessels in vitro

Human isolated digital arteries and metatarsal veins, obtained postmortem, have been used to compare the effects of alpha-adrenoceptor antagonists on contractile responses to nerve stimulation. The antagonists used were prazosin, rauwolscine, BE 2254, and yohimbine. Rauwolscine (alpha 2-antagonist), as well as prazosin and BE 2254 (alpha 1-antagonists), in concentrations of 10(-9), 10(-8), and 10(-7) mol/liter, potently antagonized the frequency-response curves to nerve stimulation. Yohimbine (alpha 2-antagonist) was slightly less potent, failing to antagonize responses to nerve stimulation in arteries at the concentration of 10(-9) mol/liter significantly, but producing potent antagonism of responses in both arteries and veins at higher concentrations (10(-8), 10(-7) mol/liter). All antagonists inhibited the contractile responses to nerve stimulation to a greater extent in veins than in arteries. Rauwolscine (10(-9), 10(-8), and 10(-7) mol/liter) and BE 2254 (10(-7) but not 10(-8) mol/liter) significantly enhanced stimulation-induced tritium efflux in arteries and veins. These results suggest that alpha 2-adrenoceptor antagonists, despite their prejunctional effects, are potent antagonists of contractile responses to nerve stimulation. Thus, in these human blood vessels, endogenously released norepinephrine does not preferentially activate postjunctional alpha 1-adrenoceptors, but activates receptors with the properties of both the alpha 1- and alpha 2-adrenoceptor subtypes.

Pharmacological characterization of postsynaptic alpha-adrenoceptor subtypes in five different dog arteries in-vitro

The responses of helically cut strips of arteries isolated from five different sites in the body of dogs to relatively selective alpha 1- and alpha 2-adrenoceptor agonists and the antagonism exerted on these responses by relatively selective alpha 1- and alpha 2-adrenoceptor blockers have been studied. On all arteries (renal, splenic, cranial mesenteric, jejunal and femoral) phenylephrine was a full agonist whereas UK-14,304 was a partial agonist causing maximal contractions of 49, 30, 27, 27 and 10% of the maximum, respectively. Phenylephrine was more potent than UK-14,304, being 9 times more potent in the renal artery and up to 42 times more potent in the cranial mesenteric artery. In the dog saphenous vein, where there are both alpha 1- and alpha 2-adrenoceptors, it has been previously shown that UK-14,304 is 530 times more potent than phenylephrine. Prazosin in low concentrations displaced concentration-response curves for both phenylephrine and UK-14,304 (pA2 values of 8.16-8.43 and 8.13-8.79, respectively) whereas yohimbine was much less potent (pA2 values of 6.53-6.88 and 6.50-7.20, respectively). The results suggest that the alpha-adrenoceptors of all arteries studied are predominantly, if not exclusively, of the alpha 1-subtype.

Dopamine preferentially stimulates postsynaptic alpha 2-adrenoceptors in the femoral vascular bed, but alpha 1-adrenoceptors in the renal vascular bed of the anaesthetised dog

The decrease in blood flow in response to dopamine (DA) injected intraarterially (i.a.) into the femoral or renal vascular beds was examined in the anaesthetised dog. DA or noradrenaline (NA) were 10 times more potent as vasoconstrictor agents in the femoral than in the renal vasculature. In the femoral bed, the DA induced vasoconstriction was completely resistant to antagonism by prazosin (30-300 micrograms/kg i.v.), but was dose-dependently blocked by the alpha 2-receptor antagonist idazoxan (30-300 micrograms/kg i.v.). In the renal bed the vasoconstrictor effects of DA were resistant to blockade by idazoxan, but were prazosin sensitive indicating that alpha 1-adrenoceptors were involved in this response. The alpha-receptor agonist profile for DA was not modified in the femoral bed after blockade of dilatory D1-receptors with SCH 23390 (0.5 mg/kg i.v. and 0.1 mg/kg per h i.v.). However, this antagonist significantly increased the vasoconstrictor potency for DA in the renal bed. The decrease in femoral blood flow induced by an injection of DA, appears to be mediated by alpha 2-adrenoceptors. In the renal vascular bed where the predominant alpha-adrenoceptor corresponds to the alpha 1-subtype and there are few postsynaptic alpha 2-receptors subserving vasoconstriction, DA can stimulate alpha 1-receptors but this action requires higher doses of agonist than those needed for alpha 2-adrenoceptor stimulation.

Postsynaptic alpha-adrenoreceptor populations in several vascular systems of the anaesthetized rat

The contribution of postsynaptic alpha 1- and alpha 2-adrenoreceptors to vasoconstrictor responses was investigated in several vascular systems of pentobarbital-anaesthetized rats pretreated with atropine and propranolol. In the intact circulatory system of the anaesthetized rat, pressor responses were obtained to noradrenaline and phenylephrine. The pressor responses to noradrenaline were only partially blocked by prazosin and the responses which remained after prazosin were significantly reduced further by the subsequent addition of yohimbine. However, the responses to phenylephrine were largely antagonized by prazosin alone. In the blood-perfused hindquarter of the anaesthetized rat, a differential blocking activity of prazosin against noradrenaline and phenylephrine was also demonstrated. Prazosin, as observed in the intact circulatory system of the anaesthetized rat, was a more potent antagonist against phenylephrine than against noradrenaline. In the blood-perfused mesentery of the anaesthetized rat, sympathetic nerve stimulation, noradrenaline and phenylephrine produced a marked vasoconstrictor response whilst B-HT 920 hardly induced a pressor response. The pressor responses to nerve stimulation, noradrenaline and phenylephrine were largely blocked by prazosin alone. However, only the responses to all frequencies of nerve stimulation were enhanced by yohimbine pretreatment. These results obtained from the intact animal and blood-perfused hindquarter indicate that the pressor responses to exogenous noradrenaline result from the activation of both postsynaptic alpha 1- and alpha 2- adrenoreceptors. However, the result obtained from the blood-perfused mesentery indicates that the vasoconstrictor responses to neuronally released noradrenaline are largely mediated by activation of postsynaptic alpha 1-adrenoreceptors. Consequently, these results suggest that, in rats, the postsynaptic alpha-adrenoreceptor population in the mesenteric resistance blood vessels differs from that in other tissues.

Sympathetic vasoconstriction sensitive to alpha 2-adrenergic receptor blockade. No evidence for preferential innervation of alpha 1-adrenergic receptors in the canine femoral bed

In the canine femoral bed, we studied the involvement of vascular alpha 2-adrenergic receptors in vasoconstriction by stimulating the sympathetic nerve during different degrees of activation of metabolic counterregulation (constant pressure and constant flow perfusion). In chloralose-anesthetized, despinalized dogs under beta-blockade (2 mg/kg nadolol) and under a constant femoral perfusion pressure, cumulative doses of rauwolscine (0.03, 0.3, and 3.0 mg/kg i.v., n = 8) or of prazosin (0.012, 0.12, and 1.2 mg/kg i.v., n = 8) caused dose-dependent shifts to the right of the dose-response curve of intraarterial norepinephrine (NE) infusions. These cumulative doses also caused attenuations of the vasoconstriction initiated by lumbar sympathetic stimulation (0.1, 0.3, 1.0, and 3.0 Hz). Sham treatment (n = 8) had no such results. In experiments with constant flow perfusion (n = 6 for each antagonist), rauwolscine shifted the NE dose-response curve significantly more compared to the experiments with constant pressure perfusion, while prazosin was similarly effective under both conditions. Under constant flow perfusion, both antagonists dose-dependently attenuated the vasoconstrictions caused by sympathetic stimulation. While prazosin and sham treatment did not modify the overflow of NE from the femoral bed during stimulation, this overflow was augmented by rauwolscine during stimulation at 3 Hz, which indicated presynaptic modulation of NE release. Under both experimental conditions, no significant difference could be observed in the attenuation of low-frequency sympathetic vasoconstriction by the two antagonists, when dosages were compared on the basis of their action against infused NE. It is concluded that both a rauwolscine-sensitive component and a prazosin-sensitive component are involved in the competition between sympathetic vasoconstriction and metabolic dilation. The vascular alpha-adrenergic receptors activated by these two components have a similar postsynaptic localization relative to the nerve endings.

An in vivo study of the alpha-adrenoreceptor subtypes on the renal vasculature of the anaesthetized rabbit

An attempt has been made to classify the subtypes of alpha-adrenoreceptors mediating renal vasoconstriction in vivo using renal nerve stimulation and alpha-adrenoreceptor agonists and antagonists of varying selectivity in anesthetised rabbits. In the first series of experiments prazosin more potently inhibited the phenylephrine than the nerve induced renal vasoconstriction while phentolamine inhibited the response to phenylephrine and nerve stimulation nearly equally. In the second series of experiments low to moderate doses of yohimbine potently inhibited the renal vasoconstriction of clonidine, was less potent on that induced by noradrenaline and did not significantly affect that of phenylephrine. Prazosin was a potent antagonist of phenylephrine induced vasoconstriction but was less potent on nerve stimulation and noradrenaline, and was without effect on clonidine. In the third series of experiments, prazosin partially inhibited the renal vasoconstriction produced by all frequencies of nerve stimulation and that produced by high doses of noradrenaline. The prazosin resistant component of nerve stimulation and exogenous noradrenaline was significantly reduced by the addition of yohimbine. These results have been taken to suggest the presence of both alpha 1- and alpha 2-adrenoreceptors in the renal vasculature of the rabbit which mediate the renal vasoconstriction of exogenous and endogenous noradrenaline. They further show that in the rabbit the alpha 2-adrenoreceptors mediate a much greater proportion of the total renal vasoconstriction compared with the dog, cat or rat in which the alpha 1-adrenoreceptor population appears to be the predominant receptor.

Role of ganglionic M-1 and M-2 receptors in the neuronal control of the cardiovascular system of the normotensive rat as determined with pilocarpine

The adrenoceptors involved in the increase in diastolic pressure and heart rate elicited by i.v. administration of pilocarpine to the pithed rat were assessed using as pharmacological tools the alpha 1-adrenoceptor antagonist prazosin, the alpha 2-adrenoceptor antagonist rauwolscine, the beta 1-adrenoceptor blocker atenolol and the beta 2-adrenoceptor blocker ICI 118,551. Pilocarpine indirectly activated vascular alpha 1- and cardiac beta 1-adrenoceptors. By using the M-1 antagonist pirenzepine and the mixed M-1/M-2 antagonist dexetimide, pilocarpine was shown to be a mixed M-1/M-2 agonist. Pilocarpine initiated antagonistic effects on intrasynaptic alpha 2-adrenoceptor-mediated pressor responses and not on those triggered by extrasynaptic alpha 2-adrenoceptors. During vasopressin infusion to counteract a possible vasodilator action of pilocarpine, it was demonstrated that pilocarpine indirectly activated alpha 1- and alpha 2-adrenoceptors. The results support the hypothesis that intra- and extrasynaptic alpha 2-adrenoceptors comprise different populations and that the neuronal control of alpha 2-adrenoceptors is mediated by ganglionic M-2 receptors.

Attenuation of sympathetic vasoconstriction by nifedipine: the role of vascular alpha 2-adrenoceptors

The effects of nifedipine on hindlimb vasoconstriction caused by norepinephrine infusion and sympathetic stimulation (0.1-1.0 Hz) were compared in dogs given 0.12 mg/kg prazosin or 0.3 mg/kg rauwolscine. Constrictions due to stimulation or norephinephrine with prazosin, presumed to be mediated by vascular alpha 2-adrenoceptors, were significantly attenuated by 30 micrograms/kg nifedipine, while constrictions with rauwolscine, presumably alpha 1-mediated, remained unaffected. These data support the hypothesis that the antihypertensive effect of calcium antagonists is based upon interference with alpha 2-mediated sympathetic vasoconstriction.