[The kinetics of the reaction of the portal vein of the liver in the rat to catecholamines and acetylcholine].

The portal vein was shown to possess two pools of alpha-adrenoreceptors and m-cholinoreceptors, and one beta-adrenoreceptor pool, with functional interrelationships among them. Increase in the temperature of the incubation medium to 40.5 and 41.0 degrees C induced characteristic changes of adrenergic response which were reversed or considerably attenuated by specific agonists and antagonists. The role of changes in the conformational membrane induced by adrenotropic substances in modulating specific responses to neurotransmitters and their agonists, is discussed.