beta-Adrenergic stimulation of the adenosine 3',5'-monophosphate system regulated by cholinergic stimuli in the...

Acetylcholine significantly inhibited isoproterenol-stimulated adenosine 3',5'-monophosphate (cAMP) levels of rat prostatic tissue in a concentration-dependent fashion. Atropine but no hexamethonium reversed the inhibitory action of acetylcholine. Tetracaine and verapamil abolished the inhibitory effect of acetylcholine on isoproterenol-stimulated accumulation of cAMP. Exclusion of calcium also eliminated the effect of acetylcholine. Inhibitory regulation of cAMP levels was reproduced by the divalent cation ionophore A23187. These observations suggest that beta-adrenergic stimulation of the cAMP system of the prostate is regulated by cholinergic stimulation involving a specific muscarinic receptor with calcium-dependent mechanism sensitive to verapamil or tetracaine.