Dopaminergic and alpha-adrenergic control of neurotransmission in human right atrium

The aim of the present study was to investigate dopamine receptor- and alpha-adrenergic receptor-mediated modulation of norepinephrine release in human atria. Right atrial appendages were incubated with 3H-norepinephrine, placed in superfusion chambers, and field-stimulated by platinum electrodes at a frequency of 5 Hz. The stimulation-induced (S-I) outflow of radioactivity was taken as an index of norepinephrine release. The dopamine D2-receptor agonist quinpirole (0.03-3 microM) concentration dependently inhibited the S-I outflow of radioactivity with an EC50 of 0.03 microM. The concentration-response curve of quinpirole was potently shifted to the right by the D2-receptor antagonists domperidone (0.003 microM, pKB approximately 9.2) and S(-)-sulpiride (0.1 microM, pKB approximately 8.6). The D1-receptor antagonist SCH 23390 (1 microM) slightly (pKB approximately 6.9) shifted the concentration-response curve of quinpirole, whereas the alpha 2-adrenergic antagonist rauwolscine (0.01 microM) and the alpha 1-adrenergic antagonist prazosin (1 microM) had no effect. The D1-receptor agonist did not affect fenoldopam (0.03 and 0.3 microM), but fenoldopam (3 microM) enhanced the S-I outflow of radioactivity. The facilitatory effect of fenoldopam (3 microM) was unaltered by SCH 23390 (0.1 microM) but prevented by rauwolscine (0.01 microM). The alpha 2-adrenergic agonist UK 14304 (0.01-1 microM) (EC50: 0.06 microM), but not the alpha 1-adrenergic agonist methoxamine (0.3-30 microM), inhibited S-I outflow of radioactivity. The concentration-response curve of UK 14304 was shifted to the right by rauwolscine (0.01 microM, pKB approximately 8.6).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)