Alpha 1-adrenoceptor activation stimulates ureogenesis in rat hepatocytes.

Epinephrine produced a dose-dependent stimulation of ureogenesis. Epinephrine action was unaffected by the beta-adrenergic antagonist propranolol but was blocked by the alpha-adrenergic antagonists prazosin and yohimbine. Prazosin was approximately 3 orders of magnitude more potent than yohimbine, indicating that the adrenoceptor involved in this action is of the alpha 1-subtype.