Reproductive physiology and behavior in the male rat following acute and chronic peripheral adrenergic depletion by guanethidine

Stefanick, Marcia L.; Smith, Erla R.; Szumowski, Diane A.; Davidson, Julian M.

doi:10.1016/0091-3057(85)90130-3

Cited by 26 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 24 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…The same treatment produces only minor effects on adrenergic neurons in other parts of the body, including those innervating the vasculature of the genital organs [5]. Chemical denervation can be accomplished by treatment of rats with guanethidine.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fertility of Rat Epididymal Sperm after Chemically and Surgically Induced Sympathectomy1

Kempinas

Suarez

Roberts

et al. 1998

Biology of Reproduction

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Guanethidine, a chemical that selectively blocks sympathetic noradrenergic neurons, was used to investigate the role of sympathetic innervation in the fertility of rat epididymal sperm, using both natural mating and in utero insemination protocols. This animal model correlates, at least in part, with spinal cord injury (SCI) in men. Adult male rats were treated daily by i.p. injections, for 21 or 42 days, with 0 or 6.25 mg/kg guanethidine. To compare the effects of guanethidine-induced sympathectomy with those following surgically induced sympathectomy, the inferior mesenteric ganglion and the proximal hypogastric nerves were removed in another group of rats. Both chemically and surgically induced sympathectomy increased the weight of the epididymis and seminal vesicles/coagulating glands as well as the number and the transit time of cauda epididymal sperm. Neither serum testosterone levels nor LH was affected by treatment with guanethidine. Using natural mating, no litters were produced by guanethidine-treated rats. Chemically denervated rats failed to produce copulatory plugs or ejaculate into the uterus. However, distal cauda epididymal sperm from chemically or surgically denervated rats displayed normal fertilization ability (80%) using in utero inseminations. In addition, the sperm of denervated rats did not show abnormal sperm chromatin structure using an assay that detects DNA damage. We conclude that sympathectomy delays the transit of sperm through the cauda epididymidis and produces ejaculatory dysfunction but does not compromise sperm quality in the distal cauda epididymidis. Moreover, these data provide compelling evidence that there is no association between the prolonged transit time of sperm within the epididymis, i.e., pre-ejaculatory sperm aging, and the fertility of those sperm, which has important implications for artificial insemination using sperm from men with SCI.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fertility of Rat Epididymal Sperm after Chemically and Surgically Induced Sympathectomy1

Kempinas

Suarez

Roberts

et al. 1998

Biology of Reproduction

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…50 Rats acutely treated with guanethidine, an adrenergic neuron blocking agent, displayed an increased number of¯ips during penile re¯ex tests. 51 The presence of DBH-IR ®bers in the lumbosacral spinal cord suggests that noradrenaline may modulate autonomic and somatic out¯ows destined to the urogenital tract, including the penis, in male rats. In keeping with this hypothesis is the inhibition of the re¯exive urethral constriction in cats (males and females) by prazosin; an alpha-1 adrenergic receptor antagonist and clonidine.…”

Section: Spinal Pharmacologymentioning

confidence: 99%

Central noradrenergic control of penile erection

Giuliano

Rampin

2000

Int J Impot Res

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Penile erection is completely dependent on commands from the central nervous system. Spinal centers controlling penile erection are located in the thoracolumbar and lumbosacral spinal cord. These centers are activated by information from the periphery and supraspinal nuclei so as to elicit penile erection in a variety of physiological contexts. A small number of nuclei including the locus coeruleus located in the pons sends noradrenergic ®bers to the forebrain and spinal cord, including those areas controlling penile erection. Recent morphological techniques such as in situ hybridization and autoradiography using radioligand binding permit investigation of the brain and spinal pathways utilizing alpha adrenoceptor subtypes. Furthermore, pharmacological experiments suggest a modulatory role for noradrenaline in the control of penile erection either in the brain or in the spinal cord. The most robust evidence is that central inhibition of alpha-2 adrenoceptors facilitates sexual function. Taken together, the data propose new directions in the physiological exploration of penile erection and the therapeutic approach of erectile dysfunction.

show abstract

“…However, we cannot preclude the possibility that denervation produces systemic androgen alterations, therefore prostate changes, but the literature shows a controversy in this issue. Some authors have found depression in plasma testosterone following chemical sympathectomy (Stefanick et al 1985, Lamano-Carvalho et al 1993, while others failed to modify androgens with this procedure (Kempinas et al 1998). No matter this controversy, what seems clear is that androgens are required for recovery after nerve injuries (Brown et al 2001).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Histological modifications of the rat prostate following transection of somatic and autonomic nerves

Diaz

García

Locia

et al. 2010

An. Acad. Bras. Ciênc.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

It is known that hormones influence significantly the prostate tissue. However, we reported that mating induces an increase in androgen receptors, revealing a neural influence on the gland. These data suggested that somatic afferents (scrotal and genitofemoral nerves) and autonomic efferents (pelvic and hypogastric nerves) could regulate the structure of the prostate. Here we assessed the role of these nerves in maintaining the histology of the gland. Hence, afferent or efferent nerves of male rats were transected. Then, the ventral and dorsolateral regions of the prostate were processed for histology. Results showed that afferent transection affects prostate histology. The alveoli area decreased and increased in the ventral and dorsolateral prostate, respectively. The epithelial cell height increased in both regions. Efferent denervation produced dramatic changes in the prostate gland. The tissue lost its configuration, and the epithelium became scattered and almost vanished. Thus, afferent nerves are responsible for spinal processes pertaining to the trophic control of the prostate, activating its autonomic innervation. Hence, our data imply that innervation seems to be synergic with hormones for the healthy maintenance of the prostate. Thus, it is suggested that some prostate pathologies could be due to the failure of the autonomic neural pathways regulating the gland.

show abstract

Reproductive physiology and behavior in the male rat following acute and chronic peripheral adrenergic depletion by guanethidine

Cited by 26 publications

References 24 publications

Fertility of Rat Epididymal Sperm after Chemically and Surgically Induced Sympathectomy1

Fertility of Rat Epididymal Sperm after Chemically and Surgically Induced Sympathectomy1

Central noradrenergic control of penile erection

Histological modifications of the rat prostate following transection of somatic and autonomic nerves

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About