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Smooth muscle mechanical responses in vitro to bethanechol after progesterone in male rat.

Male Sprague-Dawley rats were pretreated subcutaneously with either progesterone (3 mg/kg per day) in a vehicle or a vehicle only for 3 days. Antral and gastroduodenal junctional tissues (GJT) were excised from both groups of animals and prepared for in vitro mechanical measurements. Responses from the circular muscle axis of these tissues were recorded with strain gauge transducers over a 30-min period. Chemical stimulation of the tissue was achieved with a muscarinic agonist, bethanechol chloride. Log-dose response curves suggested that untreated antral tissue generated stronger contractile activity than untreated GJT on an equal weight basis at bethanechol dose levels of 6.4 X 10(-6) M to 1 X 10(-4) M (P less than 0.005). Antral tissue and GJT contractile activity from the progesterone pretreated animals was significantly reduced (P less than 0.01) compared to the corresponding tissues from untreated animals at bethanechol dose levels of 6.4 X 10(-6) M and 1.28 X 10(-5) M. Progesterone pretreatment appeared to have little effect on the contractile frequency of either tissue. These results suggest possible progesteronic influences on contractile force in gastrointestinal smooth muscle.

Animals↗

Effect of atropine and vagotomy on pancreatic polypeptide response to a meal in dogs.

In four conscious dogs the pancreatic polypeptide (PP) response to a standard beef-liver meal was measured by specific radioimmunoassay and compared with the response seen after the intravenous injection of 25 or 100 microgram/kg atropine. All three tests were performed twice in each animal and then repeated after truncal vagotomy. The mean prevagotomy postprandial PP increment was 85 +/- 16 pmol/liter in the first 2-h period and 54.5 +/- 13 pmol/liter in the second. After the injection of 25 microgram/kg atropine there was significant reduction in the early response (mean delta PP = 39 +/- 17 pmol/liter, P less than 0.05), but not the late (mean delta PP = 62 +/- 18 pmol/liter). After 100 microgram/kg atropine sulfate, the response was significantly reduced during both periods (mean delta PP = 5.5 +/- 5.2 and 20 +/- 8.8 pmol/liter, respectively, P less than 0.01). Truncal vagotomy significantly (P less than 0.01) reduced the PP response over both time periods (mean delta PP = 6.4 +/- 2.2 and 5.8 +/- 3.8 pmol/liter), and the small residual response was completely abolished by atropine. In five additional dogs an infusion of bethanechol (100 microgram . kg-1.h-1) caused a significant increase (P less than 0.05) in the plasma concentration (mean delta PP = 40.9 +/- 11.8 pmol/liter), which was abolished by pretreatment with atropine (mean delta PP = -2.9 +/- 2.1 pmol/liter). These studies suggest that PP release in response to a meal in the dog is largely under vagal-cholinergic control.

Animals↗

Effects of some autonomic drugs on duodenal smooth muscle.

Longitudinal muscle strips (LMS) and circular muscle strips (CMS), 2 mm wide and 1.5--2 cm long, from opossum duodenum were exposed to some autonomic agonists. The cholinergic agonists, acetylcholine, carbachol, methacholine, and bethanechol stimulated only tonic contractions in LMS and tonic followed by phasic contractions in CMS. These effects were abolished by atropine 10(-6) M. The ED50S of all cholinergic agonists for LMS were significantly lower than for CMS. Norepinephrine caused initial contraction (abolished by phenoxybenzamine, 10(-4) M), followed by relaxation (abolished by propranolol, 10(-5) M), and isopropylnorepinephrine caused relaxation (abolished by propranolol, 10(-5) M) in both layers. There were no differences in relative potencies for adrenergic agonists between the layers. Tetrodotoxin did not affect the response to adrenergic agonists. Thus, the potency of cholinergic agonists is greater in longitudinal than in circular muscle, and the layers respond differently to cholinergic agonists. The alpha-adrenergic receptors mediate contraction and beta-adrenergic receptors mediate relaxation on the duodenal smooth muscle.

Acetylcholine↗

Effect of bethanechol, gastrin I, or cholecystokinin on myoelectrical activity.

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of bethanechol, gastrin I, or the octapeptide of cholecystokinin (CCK-OP) on the smooth muscle of the isolated cat colon. Myoelectrical activity was recorded with monopolar glass-pore electrodes. Slow-wave frequency was 5.9 +/- 0.2 cycles/min during the basal period. Slow waves were generally coupled during the control period and the apparent propagation velocity was predominantly aborad at a velocity of 3.8 +/- 0.4 mm/s. Spike activity was superimposed on 11.9 +/- 1.5% of the slow waves during the control period. Bethanechol stimulated a dose-dependent increase in colonic spike activity, with a threshold concentration of 10(-7) M. Bethanechol did not alter the congruence of the colonic slow-wave frequency at any concentration. Gastrin I or CCK-OP increased colonic spike activity. The threshold concentrations for gastrin I and CCK-OP were 2 X 10(-11) M and 4 x 10(-11) M, respectively. Unlike bethanechol, gastrin I (2 X 10(-9) M - 2 X 10(-8) M) and CCK-OP (4 X 10(-9) - 4 X 10(-8) M) altered slow-wave frequency and decreased slow-wave congruence. These studies suggest that 1) bethanechol, gastrin I, or CCK-OP increases colonic spike activity, and 2) only gastrin I or CCK-OP alters the slow-wave frequency of colonic muscle. Thus neurohumoral substances may act independently on colonic spike activity and colonic slow-wave frequency.

Action Potentials↗

Stimulation and blockade of cholinergic receptors in terminal liver microcirculation in rats.

This study was designed to establish the existence of cholinergic vascular receptors in the terminal portion of the rat liver microcirculation. The liver microcirculation was observed in vivo by a transillumination technique through a television microscope. The changes in the caliber of the liver sinusoids were measured directly on the television screen. Infusion of the parasympathetic neurotransmitter acetylcholine into the portal venous circulation caused a concentration-dependent dilation of liver sinusoids. Similar dilatation effects were observed for other cholinergic receptor agonists. Atropine, the specific cholinergic receptor blocker, inhibited this dilator effect, displacing the acetylcholine concentration-effect curve to the right. In contrast, physostigmine, the cholinesterase inhibitor, caused displacement of the curve to the left. In conclusion, cholinergic receptors are present in the terminal portion of the liver microcirculation, subserving the functional role of vasodilatation.

Acetylcholine↗

Modulation of lower esophageal sphincter relaxation in the opossum.

The relationship of lower esophageal sphincter (LES) relaxation and sphincter pressure was studied in the basal state and after neurohumoral stimulation in the anesthetized opossum. LES relaxation was induced by electrical vagal stimulation, balloon distension, and swallowing, whereas LES pressure was increased by infusions of gastrin I, histamine, phenylephrine, or bethanechol. Each agent was selected to give an approximately twofold increase in LES pressure, at the highest dosage. The lower dosage gave a submaximal increase in LES pressure. Neither gastrin nor histamine modified sphincter relaxation as induced by vagal stimulation, esophageal distension, or swallowing. Phenylephrine or bethanechol made the LES less sensitive to vagal stimulation or esophageal distension without reducing maximal LES relaxation. Only bethanechol significantly decreased sphincter relaxation in response to swallowing (P less than 0.05). The results of this study suggest that LES relaxation is not a fixed response simply dependent on the inhibitory stimulus or the resting tonic level of LES pressure, but may be modulated by both alpha-adrenergic and cholinergic drugs.

Animals↗

Pentobarbital suppresses basal and reflexive pancreatic polypeptide release in dogs.

We sought to determine in overnight-fasted dogs whether basal or 2-deoxy-D-glucose (2-DG)-stimulated levels of pancreatic polypeptide (PP) could be reliably used as an index of cholinergic activity at the pancreas and thereby determine the effect of pentobarbital anesthesia on this cholinergic outflow. At low basal PP levels, either atropine or pentobarbital had a small effect on PP levels; at higher basal levels, both atropine and pentobarbital had a larger effect. Thus both drugs decreased PP in proportion to its initial basal level, suggesting that basal PP levels have a variable cholinergic component. Atropine abolished the PP response to intravenous 2-DG, confirming in our animal model that the PP response to neuroglucopenia is entirely cholinergically mediated. Pentobarbital also abolished the PP response to 2-DG, suggesting that anesthesia either suppresses cholinergic outflow to the pancreas or the response of the pancreatic F-cell to it. To test the latter hypothesis, the acetylcholine analogue bethanechol was administered before and during pentobarbital anesthesia. The PP response to direct cholinergic stimulation was not abolished by pentobarbital, although it was reduced modestly. We conclude that only part of the basal level of PP is under cholinergic control; all of the PP response to 2-DG is cholinergically mediated; pentobarbital anesthesia abolishes the cholinergic input to the pancreas; and if the endogenous cholinergic input influences certain pancreatic endocrine and exocrine responses, then its contribution would be seriously underestimated when studied in pentobarbital-anesthetized animals.

Animals↗

Effect of cholecystokinin-octapeptide on opossum lower esophageal sphincter.

We evaluated the action of cholecystokini-octapeptide (CCK-OP) on lower esophageal sphincter (LES) pressure in the opossum. LES pressure was recorded by an infused sleeve device that straddled the sphincter, whereas intraluminal esophageal pressure and gastric pressure were recorded via conventional manometric catheters. Progressive intravenous pulse doses of CCK-OP caused 1) graded increases in LES pressure, 2) circular and longitudinal smooth muscle contraction in esophageal body, and 3) mild increases in intragastric pressure. Pressor effect of CCK-OP on the LES was weakly antagonized by tetrodotoxin (TTX), but not by atropine, phentolamine, or pyrilamine. TTX antagonism of CCK-OP appeared to be nonspecific because TTX also partially antagonized LES contractions induced by pentagastrin, substance P, and bethanechol. We conclude that CCK-OP at doses that cause LES relaxation in other species induces LES contraction in the opossum. This pressor effect appears to be elicited by a direct action of the hormone on LES smooth muscle.

Animals↗

Calcium fluxes in isolated pancreatic acini: effects of secretagogues.

45Ca2+ exchange and total calcium content were measured in isolated mouse pancreatic acini. 45Ca2+ uptake could be described as the sum of a constant and a single exponential kinetic component; about 60% of total acinar calcium was exchangeable. Stimulation by bethanechol increased 45Ca2+ uptake, but the time course of uptake could be fit only by the addition of a more rapid kinetic component without any change in the total exchangeable Ca2+. 45Ca2+ washout after 1-h loading could be fit as the sum of two exponential components. Stimulation increased the rate of 45Ca2+ washout with the appearance of a third and more rapid kinetic component. There was not, however, a good correspondence between the exponential constants measured in uptake and washout protocols in unstimulated acini. Exponential constants were also affected by the concentration of calcium in the medium, further indicating the presence of nonlinearities in 45Ca2+ exchange. The dose-response relationships were similar for bethanechol stimulation of 45Ca2+ uptake and amylase release, whereas stimulation of 45Ca2+ washout reached a maximum at a higher concentration of bethanechol. Both 45Ca2+ uptake and analytical measurement of total Ca2+ showed a rapid drop in acinar Ca2+ content followed by a gradual reuptake on stimulation by bethanechol. It is concluded that the initial primary effect of secretagogues is to increase Ca2+ efflux, which is interpreted to be the result of release of sequestered calcium into the cytosol.

Amylases↗

Myoelectric properties of the cat ileocecal sphincter.

Myoelectric activity and intraluminal pressures were recorded simultaneously from the ileum, ileocecal sphincter (ICS), and proximal colon in chloralose-anesthetized cats. Slow-wave activity, seen at all areas, showed coupling of frequency in the distal ileum and ICS. ICS spike activity was both isolated and associated with ileal or colonic spike activity and correlated with phasic contractions (r = 0.86; P less than 0.01). Ileal distensions caused ICS relaxation and decreased spike activity 33.8% of the time. Colonic distensions caused contraction and increased spike activity 46.9% of the time. Migrating action-potential complexes (MAPC) induced by castor oil, ricinoleic acid, or cholecystokinin propagated to the ICS and through to the colon significantly more frequently than ileal non-MAPC (P less than 0.05). Both spike potential-dependent and spike potential-independent mechanisms were involved in ICS contraction. Bethanechol increased spike activity and phasic and tonic contractions. Phenylephrine, despite loss of spike activity in all leads, caused tonic contraction of the ICS. Isoproterenol caused loss of spike activity and decreased ICS pressure. Thus, ICS myoelectric activity appears to be important in determining sphincter function during neurohumoral and mechanical stimulation, with ICS contractions occurring through both a phasic spike-related mechanism and a tonic mechanism without spike activity.

Action Potentials↗

Mechanism of cholinergic regulation of electrolyte transport in rat colon in vitro.

Cholinergic agonists inhibit sodium and chloride absorption in the intestine and often produce secretion. To determine the mechanism of cholinergic regulation of intestinal electrolyte transport, the effects of bethanechol on ion transport were studied in the rat colon in vitro. The addition of 1 mM bethanechol produced an initially large but short-lived increase in short-circuit current (Isc) (171 +/- 19 microA/cm2). Bethanechol decreased net sodium and net chloride absorption (2.5 +/- 0.5 and 2.9 +/- 0.9 mueq . h-1 . cm-2, respectively) and increased Isc (0.8 +/- 0.3 mueq . h-1 . cm-2) during the steady-state period. All these effects were inhibited by 1 microM atropine, which alone had no effect on ion transport. The removal of either sodium or chloride also inhibited the effect of bethanechol. cAMP content did not increase in isolated enterocytes incubated with bethanechol; however, calcium removal from the serosal bathing solution inhibited the bethanechol-induced changes in ion transport. These results indicate that cholinergic muscarinic agonists alter sodium and chloride transport in the colon by inhibiting coupled NaCl absorption by a calcium-dependent, non-cAMP-mediated process.

Animals↗

Effect of calcium on neurohumoral stimulation of feline colonic smooth muscle.

The purpose of this study was to compare the effect of altering the extracellular calcium ion concentration on bethanechol or octapeptide of cholecystokinin (OP-CCK) stimulation of the isolated transverse colon of the cat. Myoelectric activity was recorded with monopolar glass-pore electrodes. Bethanechol (10(-6) M) stimulated an increase in the number of slow waves with superimposed spike potentials to 85.5 +/- 5.3% (P less than 0.001) compared with the basal spike activity (8.9 +/- 1.4%). OP-CCK (4 x 10(-9)) also increased spike activity (80.7 +/- 3.8%, P less than 0.001), which was not inhibited by atropine, phentolamine, or propranolol. Addition of 0.0 mM calcium solution to the colonic smooth muscle abolished both slow-wave and spike activity, which returned after replacing 0.25 mM calcium in the solution. Bethanechol stimulated a greater increase in spike activity as the concentration of calcium was increased. OP-CCK stimulation of colonic spike activity was more sensitive to the extracellular calcium concentration than bethanechol stimulation. Verapamil had a minimal effect on bethanechol stimulation of colonic spike activity, but it inhibited the OP-CCK stimulation. These studies suggest that 1) OP-CCK appears to stimulate colonic smooth muscle directly and 2) OP-CCK requires the presence of a greater amount of extracellular ionic calcium in order to stimulate colonic spike activity compared with bethanechol.

Animals↗

Electrically coupled intrinsic responses of feline lower esophageal sphincter.

Intraluminal pressures and serosal myoelectric activity were recorded simultaneously from the esophagus, lower esophageal sphincter (LES), and stomach of chloralose-anesthetized cats. The LES demonstrated intermittent spike activity basally without slow waves and was distinct from esophagus and fundus. LES spike activity was not correlated with basal sphincter pressure. Dose-dependent increases in both spikes and pressure occurred with bethanechol, phenylephrine, or pentagastrin. Increased spike activity preceded the onset of the pressure rise and peaked during the rise in pressure. Changes in LES pressure and spike activity following these agents were correlated closely (r = 0.92, P less than 0.01). Atropine and isoproterenol inhibited pressure and spike activity similarly. Intrinsic reflexes to endogenous stimuli gave parallel spike and pressure changes. Distal esophageal acidification produced an increase in LES pressure that was correlated with increased spike activity. LES spike activity and pressure were inhibited similarly by antral distension or gastric acidification. Dissection of the distal esophagus from the diaphragm or bilateral cervical vagotomy had no effect on either LES spike activity or pressure. These studies indicate that a) LES myoelectric activity consists of spike discharges that are not correlated to resting pressure, b) abrupt changes in sphincter pressure following either intrinsic reflexes or neurohormonal agents are closely associated with similar changes in spike activity, and c) spike activity and sphincter pressure are intrinsic to the LES.

Animals↗

Effect of tetrodotoxin on cholinergic agonist-mediated colonic electrolyte transport.

Muscarinic cholinergic agonists stimulate electrolyte secretion in the intestine; nicotinic agonists augment absorption. Recent studies in rabbit ileum suggest that nicotinic but not muscarinic agonists act via an intermediary neurotransmitter. These in vitro studies in rat colon were performed to determine whether tetrodotoxin (TTX), a potent neurotoxin, inhibits cholinergic agonist-induced changes in electrolyte transport. TTX did not significantly alter basal ion transport or the ion transport changes produced by either theophylline or bethanechol, a muscarinic agonist. At a concentration of 1 mM carbachol, a mixed muscarinic-nicotinic agonist, had no apparent effect on ion transport but in the presence of TTX significantly decreased net sodium absorption, similar to the effect produced by 1 microM carbachol alone. These results are consistent with the concept that in low concentrations carbachol acts predominantly as a muscarinic agonist; in high concentrations carbachol exhibits both muscarinic and nicotinic properties that are equivalent. We conclude that muscarinic agonists alter electrolyte transport by acting directly on the enterocyte and that nicotinic agonists act indirectly by stimulating the release of an intermediary neurotransmitter.

Animals↗

Role of calcium in the regulation of colonic secretion in the rat.

In vitro experiments were performed in rat colon to define the role of calcium in the regulation of electrolyte transport. Neither basal net sodium absorption (JNanet) nor JClnet was affected by varying serosal calcium from 0 to 3.0 mM, but both were decreased by 4.8 mM calcium. Removal of serosal calcium completely inhibited the effect of bethanechol, a muscarinic cholinergic agonist, which inhibits neutral sodium-chloride absorption in 1.2 mM calcium. In contrast, theophylline significantly decreased JNanet and JClnet both in the presence and absence of calcium, but the effects of theophylline were significantly less in calcium-free media. In 3.0 mM calcium bethanechol inhibited JCLnet significantly greater than JNanet and in 4.8 mM calcium bethanechol decreased JClnet equivalent to the increase in short-circuit current without significantly altering JNanet. We conclude that 1) high [Ca2+] inhibits net sodium and net chloride absorption; 2) the alteration of electrolyte transport by bethanechol is dependent on extracellular calcium, and the alteration of electrolyte transport by theophylline is not dependent on extracellular calcium but may be dependent on intracellular calcium; and 3) in addition to inhibition of neutral NaCl absorption, bethanechol stimulates chloride secretion.

Animals↗