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. 1991 Jun;103(2):1429–1434. doi: 10.1111/j.1476-5381.1991.tb09806.x

Response of the rat myometrium to phenylephrine in early pregnancy and the effects of 6-hydroxydopamine.

A Kaulenas 1, H C Parkington 1, H A Coleman 1
PMCID: PMC1908392  PMID: 1909201

Abstract

1. The contractile responses of the longitudinal and circular muscle layers of the rat uterus to the alpha 1-adrenoceptor agonist phenylephrine were measured on days 3-6 of gestation. There was a progressive increase in sensitivity to phenylephrine in both muscle layers between days 3 and 6 of gestation. Overall, this amounted to a 13 and 9 fold increase in sensitivity in longitudinal and circular muscles, respectively. In longitudinal muscle the slope of the Hill plot was 2 on day 3 of pregnancy and was decreased to 1 thereafter. 2. The sympathetic nerve terminals innervating the smooth muscle of the uterus were destroyed by administration of 6-hydroxydopamine (2 x 50 mg kg-1) 4-7 days before testing with phenylephrine. Following this treatment there was a significant increase in sensitivity to phenylephrine on day 3 in both muscle layers. After day 4, the longitudinal muscle was less sensitive to phenylephrine. 3. In the longitudinal muscle there was a progressive increase in the contractile response to maximal concentrations of phenylephrine and to high potassium (100 mM) between days 3 and 6 of pregnancy. In the circular muscle the responsiveness to both phenylephrine and potassium remained unchanged between days 3 and 6 of gestation. 6-Hydroxydopamine had no effect on the maximal responses to phenylephrine or high potassium in either muscle layer. 4. In conclusion, denervation supersensitivity of uterine smooth muscle following injection of 6-hydroxydopamine is observed only on day 3 of pregnancy and appears to be replaced by subsensitivity by day 6.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

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Selected References

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