Effects of denervation and reserpine on nexuses in the rat vas deferens

Permanganate-fixed vasa deferentia from rats were examined for the presence of nexal-like contacts by electron microscopy. There was a significantly greater incidence of nexuses (2X) in chronically denervated tissues (5-7 days) but not in tissues from reserpine-pretreated animals (1.0 mg/kg/day for 5-7 days). The results suggest that an increase in nexal regions may not be a general feature of postjunctional supersensitivity but rather may contribute to other denervation-induced changes in contractile response.