Evidence against a physiological role of prostaglandins in the regulation of noradrenaline release in the cat spleen.

1. The effects of prostaglandins E2 (PGE2) and indomethacin on responses and on noradrenaline overflow elicited by nerve stimulation were studied in the perfused cat's spleen, at different calcium concentrations in the perfusion medium: 0-26, 0-65 and 2-6 mve stimulation and in the overflow of the transmitter. PGE2 was more effective in reducing transmitter overflow at 5 than at 30 Hz. 3. Indomethacin, 14-0 muM, prevented the release of PGE-like material in the venous effluent of the spleen elicited by either nerve stimulation or by exogenous noradrenaline. 4. During exposure to 14-0 muM indomethacin there was no increase in responses to nerve stimulation or in the overflow of noradrenaline elicited by nerve stimulation at 5 or at 30 Hz. 5. Similar results to those obtained with exogenous PGE2 and with indomethacin in the presence of 2-6 mM calcium, were observed when the experiments were carried out in the presence of either 0-65 or 0-26 mM calcium. 6. In the presence of the alpha-adrenoceptor blocking agents, phenoxybenzamine (2-9 muM) or phentolamine (3-1 muM), the increase in transmitter overflow obtained during stimulation was 6-5 and 8-3-fold respectively. 7. Since inhibition of the synthesis of PGE did not increase transmitter overflow during nerve stimulation, it appears that the proposed negative feed-back mechanism mediated by endogenous prostaglandins does not play an important physiological role in the regulation of adrenergic neurotransmission in the cat spleen. In this tissue the major endogenous negative feed-back regulatory mechanism is triggered by the neurotransmitter through the activation of prejunctional alpha-adrenoceptors.