Cyclic AMP production in response to agonists which act at a variety of receptors to either stimulate or inhibit cyclic AMP production has been studied in intact, dissected ciliary processes from rabbit eyes after unilateral surgical removal of the cervical ganglion. Cyclic AMP responses to stimulatory ligands vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP), isoproterenol, and forskolin and inhibitory agonists neuropeptide Y (NPY), the synthetic somatostatin analogue SMS 201-995, and alpha-adrenergic agents were investigated in tissues from normal eyes and compared to the same responses in tissues from sympathetically denervated eyes. Neither stimulated cyclic AMP production nor inhibition of stimulated cyclic AMP production was significantly different in tissues from denervated vs. normal eyes. Inhibition of VIP-stimulated cyclic AMP production by epinephrine and paraaminoclonidine in tissues from both normal and denervated eyes was blocked by the alpha2-adrenergic antagonist yohimbine but not by the alphai-adrenergic antagonist prazosin. These data indicate that the VIP, NPY, somatostatin, and alpha2- and betaa-adrenergic receptors which regulate cyclic AMP production in rabbit ciliary processes are postjunctional and suggest that ligands known to modulate cyclic AMP levels in this tissue may exert effects on aqueous humor formation independently of adrenergic innervation.