[Application of mouse tail artery for the study of alpha adrenoceptor agonists and antagonists and calcium antagonists].

Isolated mouse tail artery strip was used for the study of alpha 1-, alpha 2-adrenoceptor agonists and antagonists. NA (alpha 1 and alpha 2 agonist) was shown to have greater activity in contracting tail artery. Phenylephrine (alpha 1 agonist) and clonidine (alpha 2 agonist) exhibited the same contractile action but much weaker than NA. Prazosin (alpha 1 antagonist) and yohimbine (alpha 2 antagonist) greatly diminished the contraction induced by phenylephrine and clonidine. These results indicate that mouse tail artery is rich in postsynaptic alpha 1- and alpha 2-adrenoceptor. In addition, mouse tail artery preparation was shown to be a useful tool for screening calcium agonists and antagonists. This model has advantages of being simple and easy to prepare, short equilibrium time and more economic in comparison with the helical strips of isolated rat tail artery.