ALPHA(1)-ADRENOCEPTOR SUBTYPES IN THE HUMAN PROSTATE

Objective To determine the subset of alpha(1)-adrenoceptors mediating the functional abstraction of the prostate to noradrenaline. Materials and methods Radioligand experiments were performed with membranes pre pared from rat 1 fibroblasts transfected with rat alpha(1a), hamster a lpha(1b) or bovine alpha(1c) adrenoceptor cDNA. Human prostatic tissue obtained from transurethral resection of the prostate with full infor med consent was submitted to functional in vitro muscle strip experime nts. Results The binding experiments defined the potential subtype sel ectivity of various antagonists. Using this information, it was possib le to define the functionally important alpha(1)-adrenoceptor subtype in the human prostate. Conclusion This work reports the results of the first functional characterization of the alpha(1c)-adrenoceptor subty pe. The most functionally important alpha(1)-adrenoceptor type in the human prostate appears to be the alpha(1c) subtype. This finding may a id the development of prostate-selective adrenoceptor pharmacotherapy.