Skip to main content
NCBI home page
British Journal of Pharmacology logoLink to British Journal of Pharmacology
. 1982 Oct;77(2):293–299. doi: 10.1111/j.1476-5381.1982.tb09298.x

Dopamine acts at the same receptors as noradrenaline in the rat isolated vas deferens.

J A Leedham, J N Pennefather
PMCID: PMC2044591  PMID: 6291687

Abstract

1 The proposal that dopamine activates a different population of receptors from those activated by noradrenaline and phenylephrine to cause contraction of the rat vas deferens has been investigated using a preparation of the epididymal half of this tissue. 2 In preparations preincubated in cocaine, oestradiol and propranolol, to block sites of amine loss and beta-adrenoceptors, noradrenaline was the most, and dopamine the least, potent of the three agonists. Phentolamine competitively inhibited each of the agonists to a similar extent. Prazosin also inhibited the actions of the three agonists to a similar extent. These results indicate that the three agonists activate a single population of alpha 1-adrenoceptors to cause contraction in this preparation. 3 In experiments using the prostatic half of the rat vas deferens, in the presence of cocaine, oestradiol, propranolol and prazosin, noradrenaline was approximately 40 times more potent than dopamine in causing inhibition of twitches induced by electrical field stimulation. Yohimbine competitively antagonized the effects of the two agonists to a similar extent indicating that both act at the same population of alpha 2-adrenoceptors. 4 Taken together, these findings do not lend support to proposals that there are populations of specific dopamine receptors located pre- and postjunctionally in the rat vas deferens.

Full text

PDF
293

Selected References

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

  1. ARUNLAKSHANA O., SCHILD H. O. Some quantitative uses of drug antagonists. Br J Pharmacol Chemother. 1959 Mar;14(1):48–58. doi: 10.1111/j.1476-5381.1959.tb00928.x. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Badia A., Bermejo P., Jané F. Pre- and postsynaptic effects of sulpiride in the rat isolated vas deferens. J Pharm Pharmacol. 1982 Apr;34(4):266–268. doi: 10.1111/j.2042-7158.1982.tb04242.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Brown C. M., McGrath J. C., Summers R. J. The effects of alpha-adrenoceptor agonists and antagonists on responses of transmurally stimulated prostatic and epididymal portions of the isolated vas deferens of the rat. Br J Pharmacol. 1979 Aug;66(4):553–564. doi: 10.1111/j.1476-5381.1979.tb13694.x. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Doxey J. C., Smith C. F., Walker J. M. Selectivity of blocking agents for pre-and postsynaptic alpha-adrenoceptors. Br J Pharmacol. 1977 May;60(1):91–96. doi: 10.1111/j.1476-5381.1977.tb16752.x. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Kapur H., Mottram D. R. A comparative study on the pre- and post-synaptic alpha blocking activity of a series of benzodioxanes. Biochem Pharmacol. 1978;27(14):1879–1880. doi: 10.1016/0006-2952(78)90036-9. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Kasuya Y., Suzuki N. Variation of postjunctional natures along the length of the rat vas deferens as a cause of regional difference in the sensitivity to norepinephrine. Arch Int Pharmacodyn Ther. 1979 Sep;241(1):24–31. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Kenakin T. P. Effects of equilibration time on the attainment of equilibrium between antagonists and drug receptors. Eur J Pharmacol. 1980 Sep 5;66(4):295–306. doi: 10.1016/0014-2999(80)90462-8. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Kenakin T. P. Errors in the measurement of agonist potency-ratios produced by uptake processes: a general model applied to beta-adrenoceptor agonists. Br J Pharmacol. 1980;71(2):407–417. doi: 10.1111/j.1476-5381.1980.tb10953.x. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Kenakin T. P. The Schild regression in the process of receptor classification. Can J Physiol Pharmacol. 1982 Mar;60(3):249–265. doi: 10.1139/y82-036. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Leedham J. A., Handberg G. M., Ishac E. J., Pennefather J. N. A study of the effects of hypothyroidism induced by propylthiouracil on adrenoceptors and noradrenaline levels in the vas deferens of the rat. Clin Exp Pharmacol Physiol. 1981 Mar-Apr;8(2):159–170. doi: 10.1111/j.1440-1681.1981.tb00147.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Patil P. N., Burkman A. M., Yamauchi D., Hetey S. Analysis of the effects of apomorphine and bulbocapnine in relation to the proposed dopamine receptor. J Pharm Pharmacol. 1973 Mar;25(3):221–228. doi: 10.1111/j.2042-7158.1973.tb10628.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Simon A., Van Maanen E. F. Dopamine receptors and dopaminergic nerves in the vas deferens of the rat. Arch Int Pharmacodyn Ther. 1976 Jul;222(1):4–15. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Tayo F. M. Occurrence of excitatory dopaminoceptors in the rat and guinea-pig vas deferens. Clin Exp Pharmacol Physiol. 1979 May-Jun;6(3):275–279. doi: 10.1111/j.1440-1681.1979.tb01249.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Tayo F. M., Osuide G. Further evidence for dopaminoceptors in the vas deferens [proceedings]. Br J Pharmacol. 1977 Mar;59(3):511P–512P. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Tayo F. M. Prejunctional inhibitory alpha-adrenoceptors and dopaminoceptors of the rat vas deferens and the guinea-pig ileum in vitro. Eur J Pharmacol. 1979 Sep 15;58(2):189–195. doi: 10.1016/0014-2999(79)90011-6. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Tayo F. M. Prejunctional inhibitory dopamine receptors in the rat isolated vas deferens. Arch Int Pharmacodyn Ther. 1981 Nov;254(1):28–37. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. VAN ROSSUMJ DIFFERENT TYPES OF SYMPATHOMIMETIC ALPHA-RECEPTORS. J Pharm Pharmacol. 1965 Apr;17:202–216. doi: 10.1111/j.2042-7158.1965.tb07646.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Vardolov L., Pennefather J. N. Regional variation in the distribution of alpha-adrenoreceptors in the vas deferens of the rat. Arch Int Pharmacodyn Ther. 1976 Jun;221(2):212–212. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Vizi E. S., Somogyi G. T., Hadházy P., Knoll J. Effect of duration and frequency of stimulation on the presynaptic inhibition by alpha-adrenoceptor stimulation of the adrenergic transmission. Naunyn Schmiedebergs Arch Pharmacol. 1973;280(1):79–91. doi: 10.1007/BF00505357. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

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

RESOURCES