Biphasic response of clonidine in isolated rat aortae

Clonidine as a partial agonist of alpha adrenoceptor in Wistar rat aorta has been documented. It was however observed that the effect of clonidine on the isolated rat aorta of Sprague Dawley rats was slightly different. The concentration effect curve induced by clonidine was on the right of that induced by phenylephrine, with EC50 of 1.5 x 10(-7) M and 3.5 x 10(-4) M for the phenylephrine- and clonidine-induced responses, respectively; but the maximal contraction induced by clonidine was similar to that of phenylephrine. In the presence of clonidine, the concentration effect curve of phenylephrine was shifted to the right. Both the phenylephrine- and clonidine-induced contraction were inhibited by prazosin, and the EC50 values for prazosin in phenylephrine- and clonidine-induced contraction were 1.0 x 10(-8) M and 1.8 x 10(-6) M, respectively. Yohimbine in concentration sufficient to antagonize almost completely the effect of phenylephrine was found to slightly prevent the effects of clonidine. Further increase of clonidine above 2 x 10(-3) M, the concentration sufficient to induce the maximal contraction, however induced depression of the clonidine-induced contraction, and this phenomenon was concentration dependent. Possible explanation of this phenomenon was discussed.