The electrical responses of the rabbit rectococcygeus following extrinsic parasympathetic nerve stimulation

Membrane hyperpolarization, cyclic nucleotide levels and relaxation in the guinea-pig internal anal sphincter

1. Changes in membrane potential (measured with an intracellular microelectrode) and in cyclic nucleotide (adenosine 3':5'-cyclic monophosphate, cyclic AMP and guanosine 3':5'-cyclic monophosphate, cyclic GMP) levels (measured by radioimmunoassay) in response to inhibitory non-adrenergic non-cholinergic (NANC) field stimulation and drugs were investigated in the guinea-pig internal and anal sphincter (gpIAS) in the presence of phentolamine and atropine (each 10(-6) M). 2. Inhibitory NANC nerve stimulation (single pulse, 5 pulses at 5, 10 and 20 Hz, 0.5 ms supramaximal voltage) and adenosine triphosphate (ATP, 10(-7)-10(-3) M) inhibited spike discharge, hyperpolarized the membrane and relaxed the sphincter. The effects of inhibitory nerve stimulation were blocked by tetrodotoxin (TTX, 10(-6) M) and, with those of ATP, were blocked by apamin (5 x 10(-6) M). 3. Isoprenaline (10(-9)-10(-4) M), cromakalim (10(-9)-10(-5) M), sodium nitroprusside (NaNP 10(-5) M), M&B 22948 (10(-4) M) and 8-bromocyclic GMP (8-Br-cyclic GMP, 10(-4) M) also inhibited spike discharge, hyperpolarized the membrane and relaxed the sphincter. The effects of isoprenaline were blocked by propranolol (10(-6) M). However, forskolin (10(-9)-10(-7) M), M&B 22948 (10(-9)-10(-5) M) and lower concentrations of NaNP (10(-9)-10(-6) M) relaxed the sphincter without affecting the membrane potential. 4. The characteristics of the membrane potential changes in response to different inhibitory stimuli in the gpIAS differed. Hyperpolarization produced by inhibitory NANC nerve stimulation and ATP were rapid in onset, of brief duration and of comparable amplitude. Isoprenaline and direct electrical stimulation also hyperpolarized the membrane and relaxed the muscle although the extent of the relaxation in these two cases was much less than that with nerve stimulation and ATP. In each case, the membrane potential change preceded relaxation and probably accounted for it. 5. Both inhibitory NANC nerve stimulation (80 pulses 8Hz supramaximal voltage 0.5 ms) and ATP (10-aM) raised levels of cyclic GMP significantly and to a comparable degree and relaxed the sphincter. The effect of nerve stimulation was prevented by TTX (10- 6M) but not by apamin (5 x 10- 6M). Isoprenaline (10-s M), cromakalim (10 5 M) and forskolin (10 5M) were ineffective. 6. Inhibitory NANC nerve stimulation (80 pulses 8Hz 0.5ms supramaximal voltage) and ATP (10-4M) raised levels of cyclic AMP significantly to a comparable degree and relaxed the sphincter. The increase produced by nerve stimulation was abolished by TTX (10-6M) and apamin (5 x 10-6M). Isoprenaline (10-4M), cromakalim (10-5 M) and forskolin (10-5 M) raised levels of this nucleotide significantly.

Excitatory innervation of the rabbit rectococcygeus muscle by enteric nerves from the terminal large intestine

The rectococcygeus muscle extends from the longitudinal layer of the external muscles of the terminal colon, anchoring the large intestine to the coccygeal vertebrae. The muscle is thought to assist the colon during defaecation, drawing the large intestine partly into the pelvic cavity. In the rabbit, many fine nerves run between the wall of the colon and a ganglionated nerve plexus on the ventral face of the rectococcygeus muscle. Extracellular recordings of evoked and spontaneously occurring multiunit discharges from these nerve bundles indicated that they may take their origin from the enteric nervous system of the large intestine. Enteric nerves (as we have called them) conducted bursts of spontaneously occurring multiunit discharges, each burst associated with a twisting movement of the rectococcygeus and the colon. Electrical stimulation of enteric nerves elicited cholinergically mediated contractions of the rectococcygeus; however, nerve stimulation failed to elicit relaxation of muscle tone induced by carbachol. Therefore, enteric nerves appeared to supply the rectococcygeus with an excitatory innervation only. These excitatory nerves appeared to remain uninterrupted by a ganglion synapse as they travelled to the rectococcygeus. Stimulation of enteric nerves caused the left and right hemirectococcygeal muscle strips to twist and deform the colo-rectal region to which they were attached. From these results, it is suggested that the rectococcygeus may delay the movement of luminal contents from colon to rectum by forming a weak valve which partially occludes the colo-rectal region. The enteric nerves to the rectococcygeus may assist in the maintenance of continence.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Prejunctional dopamine receptors modulate twitch responses to parasympathetic nerve stimulation in the rabbit isolated rectococcygeus muscle

Field stimulation of the parasympathetic nerves supplying the rabbit isolated rectococcygeus muscle produced individual twitch responses that were inhibited by dopamine (1 x 10(-8)-1 x 10(-5)M). The twitch-inhibitory effect of dopamine was reversed by haloperidol or sulpiride (1 x 10(-8)-1 x 10(-5)M for either) but not by phentolamine or yohimbine (up to 1 x 10(-4)M). Haloperidol and sulpiride were potent, specific, competitive antagonists of the twitch-inhibitory effect of dopamine; their pA2 values were 8.39 and 7.75, respectively. In contrast, cis alpha-flupenthixol, fluphenazine, bulbocapnine and thioridazine were weak or inactive against dopamine. Concentrations of dopamine that inhibited the twitch response to parasympathetic nerve stimulation had little or no effect on contractions elicited by carbachol or by direct muscle stimulation after abolition of neuronal conduction by tetrodotoxin. Thus, the effects of dopamine on responses elicited by parasympathetic nerve stimulation seem to be exerted at a prejunctional level rather than directly on the smooth muscle. The twitch-inhibitory effect of dopamine was mimicked by epinine, N,N-diethyldopamine, N,N-di-n-propyldopamine, 5,6-ADTN, N,N-di-n-propyl 5,6-ADTN, 6,7-ADTN, apomorphine and Sandoz 27-403. Sulpiride reversed the effects of all these agonists. N,N-di-n-propyl-6,7-ADTN and SK & F 82526 also inhibited the twitch response but their effects were not reversed by sulpiride. SK & F 38393 and DPI had little effect on the twitch response. The pharmacological characteristics of the presynaptic dopamine receptors in the rabbit rectococcygeus muscle show that they resemble those in the cat heart and rabbit ear artery in some respects but there are differences that suggest that the presynaptic dopamine receptors in the rabbit rectococcygeus muscle constitute a specific subgroup of receptors.

Lack of correlation between ultrastructural and pharmacological types of non-adrenergic autonomic nerves

In order to test the premise that non-adrenergic, non-cholinergic (NANC) autonomic nerves have a distinctive ultrastructural appearance, clearly different from that of cholinergic nerves, a detailed quantitative ultrastructural analysis has been made of the non-adrenergic innervation of 15 tissues thought from pharmacological evidence to be innervated by NANC nerves (rat and rabbit anococcygeus muscles; rabbit hepatic portal vein; extrinsically denervated toad lung); cholinergic nerves (atria of rat, rabbit, guinea-pig and toad); or both (guinea-pig cervical and thoracic trachealis muscle; rabbit rectococcygeus muscle; urinary bladder of rat, rabbit, guinea-pig and toad) in addition to their adrenergic supply. Following fixation with a modified chromaffin procedure allowing identification of adrenergic nerves, large, randomly selected samples of non-adrenergic nerve profiles from each tissue were analysed with respect to numbers, relative proportions, and size frequency distributions of different vesicle classes within the profiles. The neuromuscular relationships within each tissue were also analysed. On the basis of these analyses, it is clear that there are no consistent ultrastructural differences between cholinergic and NANC autonomic nerves: neither proportions nor sizes of the vesicles provide any clue as to the transmitter used by a particular nerve. The great majority of nerve profiles, whether cholinergic or NANC, contain predominantly small clear "synaptic" vesicles. Large filled "peptidergic" vesicles are no more common in most NANC

Amine-containing peptidergic synapses in a parasympathetic ganglion?

Following fixation with the modified chromaffin reaction of Tranzer and Richards (1976) unusual nerve profiles were found forming synapses on neurons in a parasympathetic ganglion intrinsic to the rabbit rectococcygeus muscle. Synaptic profiles were remarkable in having very high proportions of large filled vesicles. In addition to numerous large filled vesicles, many of these profiles contained a few chromaffin-reactive small granular vesicles. It is suggested that these profiles contain and may release both peptides and amines or amine-like substances which could mediate or modulate synpatic transmission in the ganglion.

The response of the rabbit rectococcygeus muscle to stimulation of extrinsic inhibitory nerves and to sympathomimetic drugs

1 The effects of stimulating sympathetic or non-adrenergic non-cholinergic (NANC) nerves or of the addition of noradrenaline (NA) or isoprenaline (Iso) were investigated on carbachol-induced tone and on contractions produced by acetylcholine (ACh) and by pelvic nerve stimulation, in the rabbit rectococcygeus muscle.2 Each procedure reduced carbachol-induced tone; sympathetic and NANC nerve stimulation were equipotent but both were less effective than sympathomimetic drugs, of which Iso was the better. Both Iso and NA, but not sympathetic nerve stimulation, inhibited the contractions produced by pelvic nerve stimulation in a concentration-dependent manner. Against ACh-induced contractions, only Iso was effective. The effects of NANC nerve stimulation on the motor responses to pelvic nerve stimulation or to ACh were not investigated.3 The inhibitory effects of sympathetic nerve stimulation, of Iso and of NA were reduced by propranolol (3 x 10(-6) M) but unaffected by phentolamine (3 x 10(-5) M).4 In the presence of high (45 mM) concentrations of KCl, Iso and NA produced a concentration-dependent inhibition of tone that was antagonized by propranolol (3 x 10(-6) M).5 Methoxamine (4 x 10(-7) to 4 x 10(-5) M) and phenylephrine (5 x 10(-7) to 5 x 10(-5) M) which interact mainly with alpha(1)-adrenoceptors, produced only small, transient reductions in carbachol-induced tone which were subject to tachyphylaxis, unlike those produced by Iso and NA. These inhibitory effects were antagonized by phentolamine (3 x 10(-6) M) or azapetine (3 x 10(-6) M).6 Phenylephrine (5 x 10(-4) M) and high doses (3 x 10(-5) M or greater) of NA enhanced the contractile response to pelvic nerve stimulation and, on occasion, produced muscle contraction. These effects were antagonized by phentolamine (3 x 10(-6) M).7 These results suggest that inhibition of the rectococcygeus, a muscle which has no intramural nerve plexus, can be inhibited by stimulation of extrinsic NANC nerves, the transmitter for which is unknown and by sympathetic nerve stimulation via alpha- and beta-adrenoceptors located postsynaptically on the muscle. Excitatory alpha-adrenoceptors may also be present.