The effect of pretreatment with 6-hydroxydopamine on the norepinephrine concentration and sensitivity of the rat vas deferens.

Injection of 6-hydroxydopamine via the dorsal vein of the penis results in a marked depletion of the endogenous norepinephrine of the vas deferens. Seven days after pretreatment with 6-hydroxydopamine there is a shift to the left and increase in maxima of the dose-response curves for norepinephrine and methoxamine. The results indicate that pretreatment with 6-hydroxydopamine produces denervation of the vas deferens and that the in vitro tissue exhibits both prejunctional and postjunctional supersensitivity.