The bindings of 3H-prazosin and 3H-yohimbine to alpha adrenoceptors in the guinea-pig stomach

Enduring vulnerability to transient reinstatement of hemiplegia by prazosin after traumatic brain injury

A single dose of an alpha1-noradrenergic antagonist transiently reinstates hemiplegia after recovery from brain injury, which suggests that noradrenaline (NA) is required to maintain recovery. No systematic studies have determined the postinjury duration of this vulnerability. This study used a within-subject, dose-response design to determine whether prazosin (PRAZ), an alpha1-NA antagonist, or propranolol (PROP), a beta-NA antagonist, would continue to reinstate hemiplegia over time after recovery from weight-drop traumatic brain injury (TBI). PRAZ transiently reinstated hemiplegia as measured by beam walk (BW) score in a dose-dependent manner, with the same degree of symptom reinstatement at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months post-TBI. Between-animal variability in reinstatement of hemiplegia by PRAZ was predicted by severity of deficits in BW ability 24 h after TBI. In contrast, PRAZ did not reinstate tactile placing deficits at 1 month post-TBI suggesting a different mechanism of maintaining recovery for each task. Reinstatement of symptoms are not due to sedation. Only TBI rats receiving PRAZ, not high, sedating doses of PROP or saline (SAL), showed return of hemiplegia. These data indicate that vulnerability to transient reinstatement of hemiplegia on some tasks endures long after functional recovery from TBI.

Adrenergic mechanisms in the control of gastrointestinal motility: from basic science to clinical applications

Over the years, a vast literature has accumulated on the adrenergic mechanisms controlling gut motility, blood flow, and mucosal transport. The present review is intended as a survey of key information on the relevance of adrenergic mechanisms modulating gut motility and will provide an outline of our knowledge on the distribution and functional role of adrenoceptor subtypes mediating motor responses. alpha1-Adrenoceptors are located postsynaptically on smooth muscle cells and, to a lesser extent, on intrinsic neurons; alpha2-adrenoceptors may be present both pre- and postsynaptically, with presynaptic auto- and hetero-receptors playing an important role in the modulation of neurotransmitter release; beta-adrenoceptors are found mainly on smooth muscle cells. From a clinical standpoint, adrenoceptor agonists/antagonists have been investigated as potential motility inhibiting (antidiarrheal/antispasmodic) or prokinetic agents, although at present their field of application is limited to select patient groups.

Noradrenaline-induced prostaglandin production by sympathetic postganglionic neurons is mediated by alpha 2-adrenergic receptors

In this study we have demonstrated that noradrenaline increases the levels of prostaglandin E2 and prostaglandin I2 (detected as the stable metabolite 6-keto-prostaglandin F1 alpha) synthesized by homogenates of superior cervical ganglia from the adult rat. This noradrenaline-induced prostaglandin production was further characterized: (a) Selective destruction of adrenergic sympathetic postganglionic neurons in the ganglia using 6-hydroxydopamine abolished both basal and stimulated prostaglandin production. (b) Elimination of preganglionic cholinergic sympathetic nerve terminals in the ganglia had no effect. (c) Mepacrine (a phospholipase inhibitor) and indomethacin (a cyclooxygenase inhibitor) attenuated both basal and stimulated prostaglandin production. (d) Yohimbine, but not prazosin, suppressed the noradrenaline dose-response curve for prostaglandin production. The results of these experiments show that, in vitro, noradrenaline stimulates de novo synthesis of prostaglandin E2 and prostaglandin I2 by sympathetic postganglionic neurons. This stimulation by noradrenaline appears to result from action at an alpha 2-adrenergic receptor.

Influence of fenoldopam and quinpirole in the guinea-pig stomach

1. The influence of the selective DA1-agonist fenoldopam and the selective DA2-agonist quinpirole was investigated in the guinea-pig intact stomach model and in guinea-pig gastric corpus muscle strips. 2. In the intact stomach model, quinpirole induced a relaxation from 10(-6) M on. The relaxation by quinpirole (3 x 10(-5) M) was significantly inhibited by rauwolscine (10(-7) M), yohimbine (10(-7) M) and domperidone (10(-6) M). In the presence of tetrodotoxin, quinpirole (3 x 10(-5) M) induced a contraction. 3. In the same model, fenoldopam induced a relaxation but only at 3 x 10(-5) M. The relaxation by fenoldopam (3 x 10(-5) M) was not inhibited by SCH 23390 (10(-6) M). The relaxant effect of dopamine (3 x 10(-6) M) was significantly inhibited by rauwolscine (10(-7) M), yohimbine (3 x 10(-7) M), haloperidol (10(-6) M) and domperidone (10(-6) M). 4. In circular muscle strips of the gastric corpus, the electrically induced cholinergic contractions were inhibited by dopamine but not consistently influenced by quinpirole or fenoldopam. 5. Dopamine, fenoldopam and quinpirole induced an increase in basal tone of the strips. The contraction by dopamine (10(-5) M) was significantly antagonized by prazosin and methysergide. 6. No evidence was thus found for the presence of DA1-receptors in both guinea-pig stomach models. Equally, no evidence for the presence of DA2-receptors was found when studying quinpirole in the strips. Although the relaxant effect of quinpirole in the intact stomach seems predominantly mediated via alpha 2-adrenoceptors, an involvement of DA2-receptors cannot be excluded.

Excitatory and inhibitory effects of norepinephrine on myenteric neurons of the guinea-pig gastric corpus

The effects of norepinephrine on the electrical and synaptic behaviour of gastric myenteric neurons were investigated in vitro by using conventional intracellular recording methods. Application of norepinephrine (0.1-10 microM) evoked an excitatory effect in 40% of all cells tested. Excitation consisted of a depolarization of the membrane potential associated with increased spike discharge. Phentolamine or prazosin reversibly abolished and (-)phenylephrine mimicked the excitatory norepinephrine response. Yohimbine and clonidine had no effect. Focal electrical stimulation of interganglionic fibre tracts evoked fast excitatory postsynaptic potentials (fEPSPs) in all neurons. Only a minority of these fEPSPs were blocked by norepinephrine. However, fEPSPs evoked by stimulating presumably extrinsic nerves were always totally blocked by norepinephrine. The inhibitory effect of norepinephrine on fEPSPs could be reversed by phentolamine and yohimbine and mimicked by clonidine. Prazosin and phenylephrine had no effect. Isoproterenol and propranolol modified neither the excitatory nor the inhibitory effects. The results indicate that the excitatory effects of norepinephrine on gastric myenteric neurons are mediated by postsynaptic alpha 1 receptors, whereas the inhibitory effects are mediated by presynaptic alpha 2 receptors, which are located presumably on vagal extrinsic nerves. There was no evidence for beta-receptor-mediated effects in gastric myenteric neurons.