Effects of St-587 on the alpha-adrenoceptors in the bisected rat vas deferens.

The effects of the alpha-adrenoceptor agonist St-587 have been studied on the twitch responses induced by field stimulation in the prostatic portion of rat vas deferens. Moreover the drug's influence on the unstimulated prostatic and epididymal halves of rat vas deferens has also been determined. Alone and after addition of yohimbine (0.3 microM) it enhanced in a concentration-dependent manner the twitch responses in the prostatic half. Prazosin competitively antagonized (pA2 = 8.41 +/- 0.03) this effect. The enhancing effect of St-587 was not reduced in reserpinized animals. These results suggest that post-synaptic alpha 1-adrenoceptors are involved in the potentiation of twitch responses induced by St-587. When alpha 1-adrenoceptors were blocked by prazosin (0.1 microM), St-587 partially inhibited the twitch responses of the prostatic portion of rat vas deferens (Emax = 49.5 +/- 3.5%). Yohimbine completely reversed the inhibitory effects of both St-587 and clonidine. Furthermore St-587 antagonized the inhibitory effects of clonidine on twitch responses. Thus it appears that St-587 also behaves as a partial agonist of presynaptic alpha 2-adrenoceptors in this portion of rat vas deferens, but it did not induce contractions in the unstimulated prostatic half of the vas deferens. However, it competitively antagonized the alpha 1-adrenoceptor agonist phenylephrine by acting as an antagonist of prostatic postsynaptic alpha 1 adrenoceptors. These alpha 1-adrenoceptors are probably different from those that mediate the twitch enhancing response to St-587 in that portion. On the other hand, St-587 was a partial agonist of alpha 1-adrenoceptors in the epididymal half.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)