Pharmacology in Vitro of the Human Vasa Deferentia and Epididymis: The Question of the Endocrine Control of the Motility of the Male Accessory Genitals

Martins, Thales; Valle, José Raymundo Enríquez-del; Porto, A.

doi:10.1016/s0022-5347(17)71316-x

Cited by 10 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 11 publications

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“…Earlier investigations of the effects of oxytocin on the motility of the vas deferens and the epididymis are somewhat contradictory but the majority of these observations disagree with the present findings (Waddell, 1916(Waddell, , 1917Perutz & Merdier, 1924;Martins & Valle, 1939;Martins, Valle & Porto, 1940;Wojcik, 1966). All these studies, however, were performed in vitro and were based on the muscle-lever and kymographic technique, which seems too insensitive for the recording of small manifestations of contractile activity, in that the longitudinal contractions of the organ will mainly be recorded.…”

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 95%

Effects in Vivo of Neurohypophysial Hormones on the Contractile Activity of Accessory Sex Organs in Male Rabbits

Melin¹

1970

Reproduction

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The effects of single intravenous injections of synthetic oxytocin and lysine-vasopressin on the contractile activity of the distal part of the ductus epididymidis, the proximal and distal parts of the vas deferens and the vesicula seminalis were studied in seventy-two anaesthetized rabbits. The muscular contractions were registered as changes in the intraluminal pressure of the organs, and the amplitude, frequency, duration and tonus were measured.An injection of 20 m-i.u. of oxytocin/kg body weight caused a small but significant increase of the amplitude of the contractions in the ductus epididymidis and the proximal part of the vas deferens. An injection of 100 m-i.u. of oxytocin increased the tone in the proximal part of the vas deferens but decreased this parameter in the distal part of the organ. The infusion of 20 m-i.u. of vasopressin enhanced the frequency, decreased the duration and elevated the muscular tone in the ductus epididymidis and increased the frequency and the tone in the proximal part of the vas deferens. The infusion of 100 m-i.u. of vasopressin resulted in increased amplitudes in both these regions. A gradual increase in the effects of oxytocin and vasopressin towards the testis was observed, indicating a polarity in response to the hormones of the male reproductive ducts.The results support the theory that neurohypophysial hormones may regulate sperm transport in the male through their effects on the contractile elements of the genital organs, possibly being complementary in their actions.

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Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 95%

Effects in Vivo of Neurohypophysial Hormones on the Contractile Activity of Accessory Sex Organs in Male Rabbits

Melin¹

1970

Reproduction

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“…This activity was reversed to normal by giving testosterone. Martins, Valle & Porto (1940) also report that contractions in the more distal regions of the epididymis are inhibited by male sex hormones, but a stimulatory effect of testosterone on the spontaneous contractility of the isolated guinea-pig cauda epididymidis has been suggested (Da Silva e Souza, Gimeno & Gimeno, 1974). This is surprising because orchidectomy results in a pro¬ gressive decrease of cholinesterase activity (Risley, 1961) and disappearance of adrenergic terminals from the musculature of the cauda epididymidis (Norberg, Risley & Ungerstedt, 1967).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Effect of efferent duct ligation, gonadectomy and testosterone replacement on epididymal contractility in the rat

Hib¹,

Ponzio²

1977

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“…It is worth mentioning at this point that, although human and rat epididymis contracts in response to cholinergic muscarinic agonists [16,18,24,49], the muscarinic receptor subtype affecting epididymal smooth muscle tone has not been described yet. RT-PCR assays also indicated the amplification of m3 gene product in the cauda region.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Characterization of Muscarinic Acetylcholine Receptors in the Rat Epididymis1

Maróstica

Guaze

Avellar

et al. 2001

Biology of Reproduction

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The aim of the present study was to characterize the muscarinic acetylcholine receptor subtypes present in the caput and cauda of rat epididymis. The specific binding of [3H]quinuclidinyl benzilate ([3H]QNB) to epididymal membranes was time dependent, temperature dependent, and saturable. The cauda epididymis showed higher affinity to [3H]QNB and higher muscarinic receptor density when compared to the caput region. The [3H]QNB binding was tested in competition studies with different muscarinic receptor antagonists. Each antagonist tested displaced [3H]QNB bound to caput and cauda epididymal membrane with similar affinity. Correlation among the negative logarithm of inhibition constant values (pK(i)) for these antagonists obtained in the epididymis with their correspondent published pK(i) values obtained in tissues that expressed each receptor subtype (M1, M2, M3, and M4) indicated that the muscarinic receptors present in caput and cauda epididymis belong to the muscarinic M2 receptor subtype. When reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction was used to identify muscarinic receptor mRNA subtypes in the epididymis, only m2 transcripts were detected in the caput region, while both m2 and m3 mRNA subtypes were observed in the cauda region. In conclusion, these results demonstrate that muscarinic receptors are present in the rat epididymis, with expression levels dependent on the region of the epididymis analyzed. Thus, the cholinergic neurotransmitter in the epididymis may be a factor controlling contractility and/or the luminal fluid microenvironment.

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Pharmacology in Vitro of the Human Vasa Deferentia and Epididymis: The Question of the Endocrine Control of the Motility of the Male Accessory Genitals

Cited by 10 publications

References 11 publications

Effects in Vivo of Neurohypophysial Hormones on the Contractile Activity of Accessory Sex Organs in Male Rabbits

Effects in Vivo of Neurohypophysial Hormones on the Contractile Activity of Accessory Sex Organs in Male Rabbits

Effect of efferent duct ligation, gonadectomy and testosterone replacement on epididymal contractility in the rat

Characterization of Muscarinic Acetylcholine Receptors in the Rat Epididymis1

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