Effects of reserpine and 6-hydroxydopamine on the adrenergic and purinergic components of sympathetic nerve responses of the rabbit saphenous artery.

1 The effects of reserpine and of 6-hydroxydopamine on the contractions of the rabbit isolated saphenous artery produced by stimulation of the sympathetic nerves were studied. 2 In vessels exposed to reserpine, substantial contractions to nerve stimulation were recorded despite a 95.7% reduction in the noradrenaline content of the tissue. These responses of the vessel were not significantly affected by the alpha 1-antagonist, prazosin, whereas after desensitization of the P2-purinoceptor with alpha, beta-methylene ATP, no response to nerve stimulation remained. 3 In vessels exposed to 6-hydroxydopamine, no nerve-mediated responses were observed. 4 Noradrenaline-containing nerves were observed by fluorescence histochemistry in control tissues, but were not observed in tissues treated with reserpine or 6-hydroxydopamine. 5 The potencies of ATP and histamine were not significantly affected by reserpine or 6-hydroxydopamine treatment. However, there was a slight supersensitivity to noradrenaline in reserpine-treated and 6-hydroxydopamine-treated vessels compared with that of control vessels. Prazosin was selective for alpha-adrenoceptors, while alpha, beta-methylene ATP was selective for P2-purinoceptors. 6 These results substantiate the finding that ATP and noradrenaline are sympathetic cotransmitters in the rabbit isolated saphenous artery, and demonstrate that ATP can act as a transmitter independently of noradrenaline in this vessel.