Abstract
Summary
Employing rats cannulated to permit measurement of retro- and antegrade prostatic secretion, an attempt was made to determine the nature of secretory control (stimulation). A steady, tonically-stimulated retrograde flow was noted which could be blocked by atropine and the antiadrenergic drugs, dibenzyline and reserpine. Prolonged antegrade secretion, evoked by either epinephrine or norepinephrine, was suppressed by dibenzyline and potentiated by pretreatment with reserpine or bretylium. A definite but transient, atropine-sensitive antegrade response to pilocarpine was followed by a prolonged refractory period to the parasympathomimetic agent. During this time the gland was readily stimulated by catecholamines. It was found that dibenzyline, reserpine, and, to a limited extent at the doses employed, bretylium suppressed the action of pilocarpine. These findingss are interpreted as evidence that catecholamines mediate the pilocarpine effect on prostatic secretion.
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