Separation of adrenergic and non-adrenergic contractions to field stimulation in the rat vas deferens.

Adrenergic and 'non-adrenergic' nerve-induced contractions in rat vas deferens were separated pharmacologically. Responses to single stimuli comprised two components, an alpha-noradrenergic component (IIs), dominant in the epididymal portion, and a 'non-adrenergic' component (Is), dominant in the prostatic portion. Is but not IIs was blocked by nifedipine. A combination of adrenergic blockade and nifedipine virtually abolished all components. After cocaine, a third component (IIIs) emerged which was abolished by either adrenergic blockade or nifedipine. The response to trains of stimuli consisted of 'twitch' and 'secondary' components. This biphasic time course was modified by adrenergic blockade or nifedipine to reveal the time course of the 'non-adrenergic' and adrenergic components, respectively: these did not correspond to the 'twitch' and 'secondary' components. A combination of adrenergic blockade and nifedipine virtually abolished the whole response. Prejunctional alpha 2-adrenoceptor-mediated inhibition of the contractile responses could be blocked by selective alpha 2-adrenoceptor antagonists. The adrenergic contractile response demonstrated this 'feed-back' even on the second pulse at 0.5 Hz. Endogenous inhibition of the 'non-adrenergic' contraction required higher frequencies or enhancement of the extracellular concentration of noradrenaline by blockade of its neuronal uptake. Contractile responses to exogenous noradrenaline were abolished by nifedipine, at a concentration that did not affect the adrenergic (IIs) neurotransmission. These results reinforce the view that part of the motor transmission in rat vas deferens is non-adrenergic and allow the disentanglement of the various postjunctional and prejunctional elements contributing to the complex response to a train of stimuli.