title: Safety profile of selective alpha-1 adrenoceptor antagonists in the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia.
abstract: Further identification of the alpha-1 adrenoceptor present in various tissues using pharmacological and molecular biological studies has revealed that there are three subtypes of the alpha-1 adrenoceptor. This raised the possibility that there could be one subset of alpha-1 adrenoceptors within the human prostate and these might differ from those in the vascular. Binding experiments defined the functionally important alpha-1 subtype in the human prostate. It has been postulated that a drug with relatively high affinity for the alpha-1 adrenoceptor may be "prostate-selective". Such a drug may be as effective as other alpha-1 adrenoceptor antagonists but may have less effect on blood pressure and cause fewer vasodilatory side effects. The safety profile of non-subtype selective and subtype selective long-acting alpha-1 blockers is considered. However, Quantitative analysis showed that the amount of alpha-1a receptor differs from biopsy to biopsy, suggesting that prostates will differ in their response to an alpha blocker even when it is alpha-1a selective. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technique can be used to determine quantitatively alpha-1a receptor in small amount of tissue; at present, however, no non invasive parameters have been tested.
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology U. Bracci, University of Rome La Sapienza.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sciarra
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Di Silverio
mesh_terms: D000317:Adrenergic alpha-Antagonists / Q000145:classification / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011470:Prostatic Hyperplasia / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology; D011942:Receptors, Adrenergic, alpha / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D000317:Adrenergic alpha-Antagonists; D011942:Receptors, Adrenergic, alpha