Pharmacological evaluation of the alpha-adrenoceptors of the rabbit urethra.

Nerve-mediated responses of the rabbit urethral smooth muscles were studied using electrical stimuli of short duration to selectively stimulate the intramural nerves. The nature of the responses to exogenously applied adrenergic agonists and its antagonists were also examined. The results confirmed that the rabbit urethral smooth muscle contains both subtypes of alpha-adrenoceptors and the nerve-mediated contraction of the rabbit urethra is of adrenergic nature and mediated mainly via alpha 1-adrenoceptors.