Effects of desipramine on prazosin potency at α1A- and α1D-adrenoceptors in rat vas deferens: Implications for the α1L-adrenoceptor subclassification

Abstract

This study investigates the interaction between cocaine, desipramine and prazosin at α1-adrenoceptor subtypes mediating contractions to noradrenaline in epididymal portions of rat vas deferens. Noradrenaline potency was not significantly affected by desipramine (0.1–1.0μM) and reduced by desipramine (10μM), but was increased by the presence of cocaine (3.0–30μM), particularly in terms of phasic contractions to low concentrations of noradrenaline. In vehicle experiments, prazosin exhibited relatively low potency as an antagonist against the predominantly α1A-adrenoceptor mediated response (pKB 8.50). In the presence of cocaine, prazosin exhibited higher potency against the revealed α1D-adrenoceptor mediated component (e.g. pKB 9.12). In the presence of desipramine, the potency of prazosin was either unchanged or indeed decreased. Cocaine (0.3–30μM) significantly increased the single pulse nerve-stimulation-evoked contraction, with a maximum increase to 156±12% of control (n=9). In contrast, desipramine in low concentrations (0.1–0.3μM) produced a small but significant increase to 126.6±5.5% (n=11), but higher concentrations failed to increase the response. In conclusion, desipramine fails to produce sufficient noradrenaline transporter block in low concentrations (0.1μM) and produces α1-adrenoceptor antagonism in slightly higher concentrations (0.3–1μM), and so is unsuitable for use in α1-adrenoceptor subclassification studies. Contractions of rat vas deferens are mediated by α1A- and α1D-adrenoceptors, and prazosin has selectivity for α1D- over α1A-adrenoceptors. The α1L-adrenoceptor previously identified in rat vas deferens is the native α1A-adrenoceptor. The range of prazosin potencies and receptor subtypes previously reported in rat vas deferens may be explained by the choice of cocaine or desipramine as noradrenaline transporter blocker.