Alpha adrenoceptor-mediated vasoconstriction in rat hindlimb: innervated alpha-2 adrenoceptors in the saphenous arterial bed

The alpha adrenoceptor subtypes mediating vasoconstriction to exogenous agonists and to spinal sympathetic nerve stimulation have been characterized in the autoperfused (constant flow) femoral (predominantly skeletal musculature) and saphenous (predominantly cutaneous) vascular beds of the pithed rat. Intra-arterial infusion of the alpha-1 adrenoceptor agonist, methoxamine, increased perfusion pressure in both vascular beds over the same range of infusion rates, and the maximum responses were similar. The selective alpha-2 adrenoceptor agonist, B-HT 933, also increased perfusion pressure in both beds, although the maximum response to B-HT 933 in the saphenous bed was approximately twice that observed in the femoral bed. Responses to methoxamine were blocked by the alpha-1 adrenoceptor antagonist, prazosin (0.1 mg/kg), but not the alpha-2 adrenoceptor antagonist, rauwolscine (1 mg/kg), or by the selective postjunctional alpha-2 adrenoceptor antagonist, SK&F 104078 (1 mg/kg). Conversely, responses to B-HT 933 were blocked by rauwolscine and by SK&F 104078, but not by prazosin. Vasopressor responses to B-HT 933 in both vascular beds of the rat hindlimb also were reduced markedly by the calcium channel blocker, nifedipine (1 mg/kg), whereas responses to methoxamine were relatively resistant to inhibition by nifedipine. In the femoral bed, as in the systemic arterial circulation, responses to sympathetic nerve stimulation were strongly inhibited by prazosin, were potentiated by rauwolscine and were unaffected by SK&F 104078. In contrast, in the saphenous arterial bed, the responses to sympathetic nerve stimulation were inhibited by all three antagonists.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)