Influence of serotonergic mechanisms on the urine flow rate in male rats

This study extensively examined the role of a 5-HT(1A) receptor in controlling voiding function in anesthetized male rats. A simultaneous recording of the intravesical pressure (IVP), external urethral sphincter (EUS)-electromyography (EMG), and urine flow rate (UFR) during continuous cystometry was used. 8-Hydroxy-2-(di-n-propylamino)-tetralin (8-OH-DPAT), a 5-HT(1A) receptor agonist, significantly improved the voiding efficiency, as detected by increases in the evoked contraction amplitude, EUS burst period, and silent period, and decreases in the volume threshold, pressure threshold, and residual volume. Interestingly, the UFR during voiding was reduced by 8-OH-DPAT, as evidenced by decreases in the maximal UFR and mean UFRs of the voiding period, spike duration, and interspike interval. Conversely, treating rats with WAY-100635, a 5-HT(1A) antagonist, produced effects opposite to those produced by 8-OH-DPAT. These findings suggest that 8-OH-DPAT improved the voiding efficiency by enhancing the detrusor contractile ability and prolonging EUS burst period, which would compensate for the lower UFR, resulting from urethral smooth muscle contractions and longer EUS silent periods during voiding. The present study contributes to our understanding of the role of 5-HT(1A) receptors in controlling the urine flow rate in male rats.

Sexually dimorphic urethral activity in response to pharmacological activation of 5-HT1A receptors in the rat

In this study, we examined the possibility that 5-HT1A receptors may underlie sexually dimorphic mechanisms affecting the regulation of urethral functions in anesthetized rats. Simultaneous recordings of intravesical pressure under isovolumetric conditions, external urethral sphincter-electromyography, and urethral perfusion pressure were used to examine the effects of a 5-HT1A receptor agonist [8-hydroxy-2-(di-n-propylamino)tetralin (8-OH-DPAT)] and antagonist (WAY-100635) on bladder and urethral functions. This research also evaluated the effects of 8-OH-DPAT and α-bungarotoxin (a neuromuscular blockade agent) on urethral continence using leak point pressure testing, and the distribution of 5-HT1A receptors in the lower urinary tract was assessed by immunohistochemistry. The serotonergic mechanism that controls the urinary bladder and external urethral sphincter-electromyography activity showed no significant sexual differences, but urethral activity in urethral perfusion pressure and leak point pressure values exhibited some sexual differences. 8-OH-DPAT enhanced urethral pressure during continence in rats of both sexes, but the drug elevated the pressure during voiding in male rats and reduced it in female rats. The distribution of 5-HT1A receptors in the spinal cord also showed some sexual differences. The present study contributes to our understanding of the role of 5-HT1A receptors in physiological and immunohistochemical properties of urethral smooth muscle in rats of different sexes. These findings may be a basis for the future development of pharmacotherapies for stress urinary incontinence in men.