In vitro effects of prostaglandins on the guinea pig detrusor and bladder outlet.

The effects of prostaglandins on the urinary bladder and urethra were determined using guinea pig detrusor and urethral muscle strips in an in vitro muscle bath. Prostaglandins E1, E2, F1a and F2a caused contraction of detrusor strips and relaxation of strips from the bladder outlet. Their mechanism of action appears to be mediated through the sympathetic nervous system in both the detrusor and outlet with some direct relaxation effects in the outlet.