Abstract

As hypertension may impact ejaculatory function, we investigated effects of hypertension on α1‐adrenoceptors in the rat seminal vesicle and vas deferens. Spontaneous seminal emission was studied in male spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs) and normotensive Wistar‐Kyoto (WKY) rats. The characteristics of α1‐adrenoceptor in the seminal vesicle and vas deferens of the two strains were determined using an isolated muscle bath, radioligand receptor binding and real‐time RT‐PCR techniques. Although SHRs had significantly higher serum testosterone than WKY rats, the daily mean number of ejaculatory plugs emitted and their dry weight in SHRs were significantly lower than those in WKY rats. The maximum contractile responses to phenylephrine, total α1‐adrenoceptor density and expression of α1A‐adrenoceptor mRNA were significantly higher in the seminal vesicle and epididymal portion of vas deferens of SHRs vs WKY rats. Our data demonstrate the presence of hypertension related alterations in serum testosterone and in α1‐adrenergic responsiveness of the rat seminal vesicle and vas deferens and suggest that ejaculatory function in SHRs does not mirror these hypertension related alterations. Supported by KAKENHI 21791511, Grant‐in‐Aid for Young Scientists (B) provided by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology of Japan.

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