Skip to main content
British Journal of Pharmacology logoLink to British Journal of Pharmacology
. 1985 Feb;84(2):573–576. doi: 10.1111/j.1476-5381.1985.tb12942.x

Evidence for neuro-effector transmission through postjunctional alpha 2-adrenoceptors in human saphenous vein.

J R Docherty, L Hyland
PMCID: PMC1987305  PMID: 2983815

Abstract

The effects of the alpha 1-adrenoceptor antagonist prazosin and the alpha 2-adrenoceptor antagonist yohimbine were examined against stimulation-evoked contractions in human isolated saphenous veins. The concentration of yohimbine producing 30% inhibition of stimulation-evoked contractions (IC30) was 13.2 nM, whereas the IC30 of prazosin was greater than 250 nM. The inhibition of stimulation-evoked contractions by yohimbine was not prejunctionally mediated since yohimbine (0.01-0.1 microM) significantly potentiated the stimulation-evoked overflow of tritium in tissues pre-incubated with [3H]-noradrenaline. The high potency of yohimbine and the low potency of prazosin indicate that neuro-effector transmission in human saphenous vein is mediated predominantly by postjunctional alpha 2-adrenoceptors.

Full text

PDF
576

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Borowski E., Starke K., Ehrl H., Endo T. A comparison of pre- and postsynaptic effects of alpha-adrenolytic drugs in the pulmonary artery of the rabbit. Neuroscience. 1977;2(2):285–296. doi: 10.1016/0306-4522(77)90095-1. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Cambridge D., Davey M. J., Massingham R. Prazosin, a selective antagonist of post-synaptic alpha-adrenoceptors [proceedings]. Br J Pharmacol. 1977 Mar;59(3):514P–515P. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Constantine J. W., Lebel W., Archer R. Functional postsynaptic alpha 2- but not alpha 1-adrenoceptors in dog saphenous vein exposed to phenoxybenzamine. Eur J Pharmacol. 1982 Dec 3;85(3-4):325–329. doi: 10.1016/0014-2999(82)90219-9. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Docherty J. R., McGrath J. C. A comparison of pre- and post-junctional potencies of several alpha-adrenoceptor agonists in the cardiovascular system and anococcygeus muscle of the rat. Evidence for two types of post-junctional alpha-adrenoceptor. Naunyn Schmiedebergs Arch Pharmacol. 1980 Jun;312(2):107–116. doi: 10.1007/BF00569718. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Docherty J. R., Starke K. An examination of the pre- and postsynaptic alpha-adrenoceptors involved in neuroeffector transmission in rabbit aorta and portal vein. Br J Pharmacol. 1982 Jun;76(2):327–335. doi: 10.1111/j.1476-5381.1982.tb09224.x. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Drew G. M., Whiting S. B. Evidence for two distinct types of postsynaptic alpha-adrenoceptor in vascular smooth muscle in vivo. Br J Pharmacol. 1979 Oct;67(2):207–215. doi: 10.1111/j.1476-5381.1979.tb08668.x. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Elliott H. L., Reid J. L. Evidence for postjunctional vascular alpha 2-adrenoceptors in peripheral vascular regulation in man. Clin Sci (Lond) 1983 Sep;65(3):237–241. doi: 10.1042/cs0650237. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Glusa E., Markwardt F. Characterisation of postjunctional alpha-adrenoceptors in isolated human femoral veins and arteries. Naunyn Schmiedebergs Arch Pharmacol. 1983 Jun;323(2):101–105. doi: 10.1007/BF00634256. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Langer S. Z., Massingham R., Shepperson N. B. Presence of postsynaptic alpha 2-adrenoreceptors of predominantly extrasynaptic location in the vascular smooth muscle of the dog hind limb. Clin Sci (Lond) 1980 Dec;59 (Suppl 6):225s–228s. doi: 10.1042/cs059225s. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. McGrath J. C. Evidence for more than one type of post-junctional alpha-adrenoceptor. Biochem Pharmacol. 1982 Feb 15;31(4):467–484. doi: 10.1016/0006-2952(82)90147-2. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Schümann H. J., Lues I. Postjunctional alpha-adrenoceptors in the isolated saphenous vein of the rabbit. Characterization and influence of angiotensin. Naunyn Schmiedebergs Arch Pharmacol. 1983 Aug;323(4):328–334. doi: 10.1007/BF00512471. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Starke K. Alpha-adrenoceptor subclassification. Rev Physiol Biochem Pharmacol. 1981;88:199–236. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Steen S., Skärby T. V., Norgren L., Andersson K. E. Pharmacological characterization of postjunctional alpha-adrenoceptors in isolated human omental arteries and veins. Acta Physiol Scand. 1984 Jan;120(1):109–116. doi: 10.1111/j.1748-1716.1984.tb07379.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Stevens M. J., Moulds R. F. Heterogeneity of post-junctional alpha-adrenoceptors in human vascular smooth muscle. Arch Int Pharmacodyn Ther. 1981 Nov;254(1):43–57. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Weitzell R., Tanaka T., Starke K. Pre- and postsynaptic effects of yohimbine stereoisomers on noradrenergic transmission in the pulmonary artery of the rabbit. Naunyn Schmiedebergs Arch Pharmacol. 1979 Aug;308(2):127–136. doi: 10.1007/BF00499054. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Wilffert B., Timmermans P. B., van Zwieten P. A. Extrasynaptic location of alpha-2 and noninnervated beta-2 adrenoceptors in the vascular system of the pithed normotensive rat. J Pharmacol Exp Ther. 1982 Jun;221(3):762–768. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from British Journal of Pharmacology are provided here courtesy of The British Pharmacological Society

RESOURCES