1 The affinity of the ax-adrenoceptor antagonist SB 216469 (also known as REC 15/2739) has been determined at native and cloned ao-adrenoceptor subtypes by radioligand binding and at functional acadrenoceptor subtypes in isolated tissues. 2 In radioligand binding studies with [3H]-prazosin, SB 216469 had a high affinity at the aLAadrenoceptors of the rat cerebral cortex and kidney (9.5-9.8) but a lower affinity at the XLBadrenoceptors of the rat spleen and liver (7.7-8.2). 3 At cloned rat al-adrenoceptor subtypes transiently expressed in COS-1 cells and also at cloned human oxl-adrenoceptor subtypes stably transfected in Rat-i cells, SB 216469 exhibited a high affinity at the ala-adrenoceptors (9.6-10.4) with a significantly lower affinity at the alb-adrenoceptor (8.0-8.4) and an intermediate affinity at the ald-adrenoceptor (8.7-9.2).4 At functional ax-adrenoceptors, SB 216469 had a similar pharmacological profile, with a high affinity at the XlA-adrenoceptors of the rat vas deferens and anococcygeus muscle (pA2 = 9.5-10.0), a low affinity at the alB-adrenoceptors of the rat spleen (6.7) and guinea-pig aorta (8.0), and an intermediate affinity at the ClD-adrenoceptors of the rat aorta (8.8). 5 Several recent studies have concluded that the a1-adrenoceptor present in the human prostate has the pharmacological characteristics of the axA-adrenoceptor subtype. However, the affinity of SB 216469 at human prostatic ax-adrenoceptors (pA2=8.1) determined in isolated tissue strips, was significantly lower than the values obtained at either the cloned axa-adrenoceptors (human, rat, bovine) or the native LaIAadrenoceptors in radioligand binding and functional studies in the rat. 6 Our results with SB 216469, therefore, suggest that the ax-adrenoceptor mediating contractile responses of the human prostate has properties which distinguish it from the cloned xia-adrenoceptor or native OxlA-adrenoceptor. Since it has previously been shown that the receptor is not the CXlB-or aIDadrenoceptor, the functional a1-adrenoceptor of the human prostate may represent a novel receptor with properties which differ from any of the a,-adrenoceptors currently defined by pharmacological means.