The purpose of this study was to determine if myocardial alpha 1a-and/or alpha 1b-adrenoceptors are involved in the increase in Na-K pump current (Ip) elicited by alpha 1-adrenergic agonists. Single rat ventricular myocytes were isolated by enzymatic disaggregation. The whole cell patch-clamp technique was used to examine dose-dependent effects of phenylephrine (PE) on holding current (Ih) and to determine whether observed actions were mediated via alpha 1a-or alpha 1b-adrenergic receptors. To minimize the contribution of transsar-colemmal currents other than Ip to Ih, membrane voltage was held constant -40 mV, and cells were maintained in a Ca-free perfusate containing 1 mM Ba and 0.1 mM Cd. All experiments were conducted in the presence of 3 microM nadolol. PE elicited dose-dependent increases in Ih, with a peak effect of 0.57 +/- 0.03 pA/pF observed at 30 microM. The response to PE was dose dependently inhibited by prazosin and chloroethylclonidine and was totally eliminated by 1 mM ouabain. When used at doses selective for the alpha 1a-subtype, WB4101 failed to significantly antagonize the action of PE. These data suggest that the observed alpha 1-adrenoceptor-mediated increase in Ih in isolated rat ventricular myocytes is the result of an increase in Ip effected via stimulation of alpha 1b-adrenergic receptors.