Distribution of neurally activated postjunctional adrenoceptors in cat forelimb vasculature

Differential neural activation of vascular alpha-adrenoceptors in oral tissues of cats

The aim of this study was to determine the relative contribution of alpha(1)- and alpha(2)-adrenoceptors involved in sympathetic-evoked vasoconstrictor responses in tissues perfused by the lingual arterial circulation in pentobarbital anesthetized cats. Blood flow in the lingual artery was measured by ultrasonic flowmetry. Laser-Doppler flowmetry was utilized to measure oral tissue vasoconstrictor responses in the maxillary gingiva and from the surface of the tongue. Electrical stimulation of the preganglionic superior cervical sympathetic nerve resulted in frequency-dependent blood flow decreases at all three sites. These responses were stable over time and were uniformly antagonized by administration of phentolamine (0.3 - 3.0 mg kg(-1)). The selective alpha(1)-adrenoceptor antagonist, prazosin (10 - 300 microg kg(-1)), attenuated vasoconstriction in the lingual artery and gingiva, but was ineffective in blocking vasoconstriction in the tongue. Subsequent administration of rauwolscine (300 microg kg(-1)) antagonized remaining vasoconstrictor responses. In contrast, rauwolscine (10 - 300 microg kg(-1)), given alone, blocked evoked vasoconstriction in the tongue, and was without effect on gingival or lingual artery vasoconstrictor responses. Subsequent administration of prazosin (300 microg kg(-1)) largely antagonized remaining neurally elicited responses. These results suggest that neural vasoconstrictor responses in some regional vascular beds in the cat oral cavity are mediated by both alpha(1)- and alpha(2)-adrenoceptors. In contrast, tongue surface vasoconstrictor responses to sympathetic nerve activation appear to be mediated primarily by alpha(2)-adrenoceptors.

Effects of sympathetic nerve stimulation on long posterior ciliary artery blood flow in cats

A new technique using ultrasonic flowmetry was developed in order to directly measure blood flow in the long posterior ciliary artery (LPCA) of anesthetized cats. Basal LPCA blood flow averaged about 0.6 ml/min and was stable over the experimental period. Electrical stimulation of the cervical preganglionic cervical sympathetic nerve produced frequency-dependent anterior segment ocular vasoconstrictor responses. Ipsilateral nictitating membrane contractions were simultaneously measured as a well-established index of neural sympathetic activation. LPCA frequency-response relationships were shifted to the right in comparison with those for the nictitating membrane. When elicited at two min intervals, submaximal evoked responses of both systems were stable for more than 90 min. Ocular vasoconstrictor and nictitating membrane responses were blocked in a dose-dependent fashion by intravenous treatment with the non-selective a-adrenoceptor antagonist, phentolamine (0.3-3.0 mg/kg), as well as with the selective alpha1-adrenoceptor antagonist, prazosin (3-30 microg/kg). In contrast, neither evoked response was further antagonized by subsequent administration of the alpha2-adrenoceptor antagonist, yohimbine (500 microg/kg). These results demonstrate the usefulness of ultrasonic flowmetry to study mechanisms controlling ocular anterior segment circulation and suggest that, as previously established for the nictitating membrane and anterior choroid, adrenergic neurogenic vasoconstriction in tissues perfused by the LPCA is mediated predominantly by alpha1-adrenoceptors.

α-1 and α-2 Adrenergic Antagonists Relieve Thermal Hyperalgesia in Experimental Mononeuropathy from Chronic Constriction Injury

Phentolamine, a nonspecific alpha 1- and alpha 2-adrenergic antagonist, relieves pain in patients with reflex sympathetic dystrophy. We sought to determine whether phentolamine, prazosin (alpha 1 antagonist), or SKF86466 (alpha 2 antagonist) relieve thermal hyperalgesia in rats with neuropathic pain. Four days after producing a chronic constriction injury (CCI), thermal hyperalgesia was tested by measuring paw withdrawal latency (PWL). After injection of phentolamine, prazosin, or SKF86466 each at doses of 1, 2, or 5 mg/kg, PWL tests were measured at 5 min and repeated at 15-min intervals for 1 h. Phentolamine, prazosin, and SKF86466 1, 2, and 5 mg/kg provided statistically significant analgesia in rats with CCI for at least 65 min. PWL did not return to baseline levels after 1 or 2 mg/kg of prazosin or SKF86466 but did so after 35 min after phentolamine 2 mg/kg. After 5 mg/kg, PWL returned to preoperative values between 5 and 50 min for phentolamine, at 35 and 65 min for prazosin, and at 50 min for SKF86466. We conclude that both alpha1 and alpha2 peripheral receptors of the sympathetic nervous system are involved in the thermal hyperalgesia caused by CCI and that thermal hyperalgesia can be reversed by both alpha1 and alpha2 antagonists in a dose-dependent manner.

Role of nitric oxide in maintenance of basal oral tissue blood flow in anesthetized cats

Experiments were undertaken to determine if nitric oxide (NO) plays a role in regulation of basal blood flow in the oral cavity of pentobarbital anesthetized cats and, if so, to quantify this effect using dose-response relationships. Blood flow was continuously measured from the surface of the tongue and mandibular gingiva (laser-Doppler flowmetry) and from the lingual artery (ultrasonic flowmetry). Cardiovascular parameters also were recorded. Administration of the nonselective inhibitor of nitric oxide synthase (NOS), L-NAME (0.08-20 mg/kg i.v.), produced a dose-related increase of blood pressure associated with decreases of blood flow at all three measurement sites. Maximal blood flow depression of 50-60% was seen 30-60 min after administration of 1.25 mg/kg of L-NAME. D-NAME (1.25 mg/kg i.v.) was inactive at all sites. Subsequent administration of L-arginine partially reversed effects of L-NAME in the lingual artery and tongue, but not in the gingival circulation. The neuronally selective NOS inhibitor, 7-nitroindazole (7-NI, 30 mg/kg i.p.), was devoid of effect on any of the measured parameters. These results suggest that endothelial (but not neuronally derived) NO plays an important role in control of basal blood flow in oral tissues of the cat.

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.