The influence of adrenergic agonists and their antagonists on isolated salivary glands of ixodid ticks.

Various drugs elicit fluid secretion by isolated salivary glands of two species of ixodid ticks (Dermacentor andersoni Stiles and Amblyomma hebraeum Koch). Among catecholamines, the following order of potency was observed: dopamine, epinine, noradrenaline = adrenaline and isoprenaline. The following drugs, in order of potency, were also agonists on this preparation: ergonovine, ergotamine, 6-hydroxydopamine, apomorphine, phenylephrine, norphenylephrine, beta-phenylethylamine, tyramine, D, L-dopa and octopamine. Nialamide increased the response to near-threshold concentrations of dopamine but had no intrinsic activity. Dopamine-induced secretion was depressed by phenoxybenzamine, alpha-flupenthixol, phentolamine, propranolol and dichloroisoprenaline, but only at conce,trations 10- to 1000-fold that of the agonist. Pimozide and spiperone (10(-6) M) augmented the maximum response of dopamine. The tick salivary gland, thus appears to contain one or several receptors differing pharmacologically from mammalian alpha-adrenergic, beta-adrenergic and dopamine receptors.