α 1 ‐ and α 2 ‐Adrenoceptor hyporesponsiveness in isolated bisected vas deferens of bile duct‐ligated rats

1 It has been suggested that cholestasis accompanied with changes in autonomic balance and hyporesponsiveness in muscarinic and adrenergic receptors of some organs, e.g. cardiovascular system. Increased plasma levels of epinephrine and norepinephrine has been shown during cholestasis suggesting augmented activity of sympathetic nervous system. In this study we evaluate both α 1 and α 2 responsiveness in isolated rat vas deferens, as a tissue with rich adrenergic innervations. 2 Epididymal and prostatic halves of vas deferens responsiveness have been studied to phenylephrine and clonidine respectively in three groups of un‐operated, sham‐operated (sham), and bile duct‐ligated (BDL) rats. 3 Our results indicate that in vas deferens of BDL animals, the concentration‐response curve of both phenylephrine and clonidine shifted to rightward compared to control group, while the position of concentration‐response curve of sham group did not change significantly ( P > 0.05). EC 50 of phenylephrine and IC 50 of clonidine were increased showing a decreased responsiveness of tissue to phenylephrine ( P