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The evaluation of sympathetic system‐related contractile activity of the rat vas deferens after ligation and intra‐abdominal placement of the testis
Author(s) -
Türken,
Yenisehirli,
Onur,
Tanyel
Publication year - 1999
Publication title -
bju international
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.773
H-Index - 148
eISSN - 1464-410X
pISSN - 1464-4096
DOI - 10.1046/j.1464-410x.1999.00126.x
Subject(s) - vas deferens , ligation , medicine , endocrinology
Objective To evaluate the contractile response of the vas deferens in a model of stress, to determine any changes in sympathetic activity as a result of stress in the ipsilateral testis, which decreases blood flow to the contralateral testis. Materials and methods The study comprised two groups of six rats each; group 1 underwent a sham operation, and in group 2 the right testis was placed into the abdominal cavity and the vas deferens ligated. After 30 days, the vasa deferentia were resected bilaterally and their isometric contractions recorded. Electrical‐field stimulation (EFS) was applied through a pair of platinum electrodes and concentration‐response curves constructed for noradrenaline at 37°C and to a solution containing 80 mmol/L K + . Results The vasa deferentia in both groups showed similar contractile responses to EFS, which were frequency‐dependent and maximal at 80 Hz. Noradrenaline‐induced contractile activity was lower in amplitude in the vasa deferentia of group 2 than in the contralateral and ipsilateral vasa deferentia of group 1, which were not significantly different from each other. All groups responded similarly to high K + . Conclusion Intra‐abdominal placement of the testes with vas deferens ligation decreased the contractile response to noradrenaline in the ipsilateral vas deferens without altering the contractile response to EFS and high K + . This difference could be caused by a reduction in the number of postjunctional α‐adrenergic receptors or decreased receptor sensitivity. Both possibilities suggest that the vas deferens may initiate sympathetic activity, which may be responsible for contralateral testicular deterioration.