Similarities between the relaxations induced by vasoactive intestinal peptide and by stimulation of the non-adrenergic non-cholinergic neurons in the rat stomach

PACAP- and PHI-mediated sustained relaxation in circular muscle of gastric fundus: findings obtained in PACAP knockout mice

Mediators of neurogenic responses of the gastric fundus were studied in wild type and pituitary adenylate cyclase activating peptide (PACAP) knockout mice. Electrical field stimulation (EFS) to the circular muscle strips of the wild type mouse fundus induced a tri-phasic response, rapid transient contraction and relaxation, and sustained relaxation that was prolonged for an extended period after the end of EFS. The transient relaxation and contraction were completely inhibited by N(G)-nitro-L-arginine and atropine, respectively. The sustained relaxation was completely inhibited by a PACAP receptors antagonist, PACAP(6-38). The strips prepared from PACAP knockout mice exhibited a large contraction without rapid relaxation and unexpectedly, a sustained relaxation. However, the sustained relaxation was decreased to about a half of that observed in wild type mice. Anti-peptide histidine isoleucine (PHI) serum abolished the sustained relaxation in the knockout mice. The serum partially inhibited the sustained relaxation in wild type mice and PACAP(6-38) abolished the relaxation that remained after the antiserum-treatment. PHI relaxed the strips prepared from wild type mice. The relaxation was completely inhibited by PACAP(6-38). It was concluded that PACAP and PHI separately mediate the sustained relaxation in the mouse gastric fundus, and that nitric oxide and ACh mediate transient relaxation and contraction, respectively.

Evidence for an apamin-sensitive, but not purinergic, component in the nonadrenergic noncholinergic relaxation of the rat gastric fundus

The involvement of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and carbon monoxide (CO) in the non-nitrergic nonpeptidergic component of high-frequency electrical field stimulation (EFS)-induced nonadrenergic noncholinergic (NANC) relaxation of longitudinal muscle strips from the rat gastric fundus was investigated. Under NANC conditions (1 microM atropine + 5 microM guanethidine), N(G)-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME, 1 mM) slightly reduced the amplitude, but did not affect the area under the curve (AUC) of EFS (13 Hz, 2 min)-induced relaxation of 9,11-dideoxy-9alpha,11alpha-methanoepoxy prostaglandin F(2alpha) (U46619, 0.1 microM)-precontracted strips. With L-NAME (1 mM) plus alpha-chymotrypsin (1 U ml(-1)), the amplitude and the AUC of relaxation were reduced to approximately two-third and one-third of controls, respectively. Pyridoxal-phosphate-6-azophenyl-2',4'-disulphonic acid (100 microM), apamin (0.3 microM), desensitization to ATP, suramin (100 microM), zinc protoporphyrin IX (300 microM) or ferrous haemoglobin (100 microM) did not inhibit the component of relaxation resistant to L-NAME plus alpha-chymotrypsin. L-NAME (1 mM) plus anti-vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) serum (1 : 100) reduced the amplitude and the AUC of relaxation to a similar extent as L-NAME (1 mM) plus alpha-chymotrypsin (1 U ml(-1)). Adding apamin (0.1 microM) to L-NAME (1 mM) plus anti-VIP serum (1 : 100) further reduced the amplitude and the AUC of relaxation. These findings suggest that the non-nitrergic nonpeptidergic component of NANC relaxation of the rat gastric fundus induced by high-frequency stimulation is mediated by a neurotransmitter that acts through apamin-sensitive mechanisms, that is neither ATP nor CO.

Okadaic acid inhibits relaxant neural transmission in rat gastric fundus in vitro

The aim of the present study was to characterize the influence of the phosphatase type 1 and 2A inhibitor okadaic acid on non-adrenergic, non-cholinergic (NANC) neurotransmission in the rat gastric fundus. Okadaic acid (10-6 M), an inhibitor of protein phosphatases 1 and 2A, did not show any influence on the basal tonus or on a contraction plateau induced by 5-HT (10-7 M) within 30 min of observation. When okadaic acid (10-6 M) was applied 10 min prior to 5-HT (10-7 M), the contraction plateau of serotonin was unchanged. To investigate the inhibitory neurotransmission, the muscle strips were pre-contracted using 5-HT (10-7 M), and inhibitory stimuli were applied at the contraction plateau, which was stable over 30 min. The inhibitory effects of vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP), nitric oxide (NO) and electrical field stimulation (EFS, 40 V, 0.5 ms, frequencies ranging from 0.5 to 16 Hz) were examined. When okadaic acid (10-6 M) was applied prior to EFS-induced NANC relaxation, significant attenuation of the inhibitory response was demonstrated (16 Hz: control: -92.4 +/- 1.9%; okadaic acid 10-7 M: -60.7 +/- 6.1%; okadaic acid 10-6 M: -25.3 +/- 3.4%; n=11; P < 0.01). By contrast, neither the concentration-dependent inhibitory actions of VIP (10-11-10-8 M) (VIP 10-8 M: -100%; VIP 10-8 M + okadaic acid 10-6 M: -89.9 +/- 8.3%; n=8; n.s) nor that of diethylamine nitric oxide (DEA-NO) (3 x 10-7-10-4 M) (DEA-NO 10-4 M: -95.3 +/- 8.4%; DEA-NO 10-4 M + okadaic acid 10-7 M: -98.3 +/- 6.3%; DEA-NO 10-4 M + okadaic acid 10-6 M: 96.5 +/- 7.6%; n=9; n.s.) on 5-HT induced contraction were altered by pre-incubation with okadaic acid (10-6 M). This is the first report that supports the concept that protein phosphatases 1 and 2A may contribute to the regulation of rat gastric fundus motility. The protein phosphatase inhibitor okadaic acid significantly reduces electrically induced inhibitory NANC responses, while leaving direct muscular effects of the inhibitory NANC neurotransmitters VIP and NO unaffected - suggesting a neural site of action. The potential roles of protein phosphatases on NANC neurotransmission remain to be clarified in detail, as this might offer a new pathway for modulating smooth-muscle function.

Increase in participation of vasoactive intestinal peptide in relaxation of the distal colon of Wistar rats with age

Changes in participation of vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) in nonadrenergic noncholinergic (NANC) relaxation of longitudinal muscle of the distal colon with age were studied in 2- to 50-week-old Wistar rats in vitro. The extent of the VIP-mediated component of the relaxation induced by electrical field stimulation (EFS) was determined by the effect of VIP(10 - 28), a VIP receptor antagonist. In 2-week-old rats, the extent of the VIP-mediated component of the relaxation was scarce, about 10%, whereas the component gradually increase with age and reached the maximum extent 66% at 50-week-old. Since our previous results suggest that VIP induces NANC relaxation via activation of charybdotoxin (ChTx, a blocker of large conductance Ca(2+)-activated K(+) channel)-sensitive K(+) channels with concomitant slow hyperpolarization in the muscle cells, we next studied whether ChTx-sensitive component and slow hyperpolarization changes with age. Extent of ChTx-sensitive component of the relaxation increased with age, showing a very similar pattern to VIP-mediated one. EFS induced monophasic inhibitory junction potentials (i.j.ps) in longitudinal muscle cells of the distal colon of 2- and 4-week-old. EFS also induced biphasic i.j.ps in many longitudinal muscle cells of 8- and 50-week-old: rapid and subsequent slow hyperpolarization. A VIP receptor antagonist selectively inhibited the slow hyperpolarization. Exogenously added VIP induced no appreciable change in the membrane potential of longitudinal muscle cells of 2-week-old, whereas it induced slight slow hyperpolarization of the cell membrane in 4-week-old and magnitude of the hyperpolarization increased with age. On the other hand, relaxant response of the longitudinal muscle to exogenously added VIP was high in younger rats. The present results suggest that the role of VIP in mediating NANC relaxation of longitudinal muscle of the Wistar rat distal colon is very little at neonatal stage, but it increases with age.

Differences in mediator of nonadrenergic, noncholinergic relaxation of the distal colon between Wistar-ST and Sprague-Dawley strains of rats

Participation of nitric oxide and vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) in electrical field stimulation-induced nonadrenergic, noncholinergic (NANC) relaxation of longitudinal muscle and in balloon distension-induced descending NANC relaxation of circular muscle were studied in the distal colon of Wistar-ST and Sprague-Dawley rats. The extent of the nitric oxide-mediated component was approximately 50% in longitudinal and circular muscle of Sprague-Dawley rats, whereas this component was absent in both muscles of Wistar-ST rats. The extent of the VIP-mediated component was approximately 40% in longitudinal muscle of Wistar-ST rats and circular muscle of Sprague-Dawley rats, whereas this component was absent in circular muscle of Wistar-ST rats and longitudinal muscle of Sprague-Dawley rats. In circular muscle of Sprague-Dawley rats, in which participation of both nitric oxide and VIP in the relaxation was suggested, inhibition of descending relaxation by N(G)-nitro-L-arginine (L-NOARG) together with VIP-(10-28) was similar to that by either of the antagonists, and exogenous VIP-induced relaxation was not affected by L-NOARG, but exogenous nitric oxide-induced relaxation was partly inhibited by VIP-(10-28). These results suggest a linkage of the pathways mediated by nitric oxide and VIP. In the immunohistochemical studies, nitric oxide synthase or VIP immunoreactive neurons were seen in the ganglia, primary internodal strands of the myenteric plexus and in the circular muscle layer. However, the overall appearance of immunoreactive cell bodies in the myenteric plexus and the numbers of immunoreactive fibers in the circular muscle layer appeared to be similar in Wistar-ST and Sprague-Dawley rats. These results suggest that mediators of NANC relaxation in the distal colon are different in different strains of rats, i.e., Wistar-ST and Sprague-Dawley, although no such difference was seen in immunohistochemical studies.

Involvement of cyclic AMP - PKA pathway in VIP-induced, charybdotoxin-sensitive relaxation of longitudinal muscle of the distal colon of Wistar-ST rats

The intracellular mechanism of vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP)-induced, charybdotoxin (ChTx)-sensitive relaxation of longitudinal muscle of the distal colon of Wistar-ST rats was studied. A single pulse or 100 pulses at 10 Hz of electrical field stimulation (EFS) induced rapid transient relaxation or that with a subsequent contraction of the longitudinal muscle in the presence of atropine and guanethidine, respectively. Rp-8 bromo cAMPS, an inhibitor of cyclic AMP dependent protein kinase (PKA), at 30 microM inhibited the relaxations induced by EFS with a single or 100 pulses maximally by about 80 or 60%, respectively. It also inhibited VIP (300 nM)-induced relaxation by 82%. VIP (100 nM - 1 microM) increased the cyclic AMP content of longitudinal muscle myenteric plexus preparations obtained from the distal colon. ChTx at 100 nM almost completely inhibited 8 bromo cyclic AMP-induced relaxation of the distal segments. EFS with two or three pulses at 10 Hz induced inhibitory junction potentials consisting of two phases, rapid and subsequent slow hyperpolarization in the membrane potential of longitudinal smooth muscle cells. Rp-cAMPS, another inhibitor of PKA, inhibited the delayed slow hyperpolarization. It also inhibited the exogenously added VIP-induced hyperpolarization of the cell membrane. Thus, the present study suggests that activation of PKA via activation of VIP receptors is associated with activation of ChTx-sensitive K(+) channels in relaxation of longitudinal muscle of the distal colon of Wistar-ST rats. British Journal of Pharmacology (2000) 129, 140 - 146

Involvement of vasoactive intestinal polypeptide in nicotine-induced relaxation of the rat gastric fundus

1. Nicotine-induced relaxation and release of vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP)- and peptide histidine isoleucine (PHI)-like immunoreactivity (LI) were measured in longitudinal muscle strips from the rat gastric fundus. 2. Under non-cholinergic conditions (0.3 microM atropine), nicotine (3-300 microM) produced concentration-dependent relaxations of the 5-hydroxytryptamine (3 microM)-precontracted strips. Under non-adrenergic non-cholinergic (NANC) conditions (0.3 microM atropine + 1 microM phentolamine + 1 microM nadolol), relaxations induced by sub-maximal nicotine concentrations (10 and 30 microM) were significantly smaller, while that produced by the highest concentration used (300 microM) was similar to that seen under non-cholinergic conditions. 3. Re-exposure to the same nicotine concentration 1 h later induced smaller relaxations, indicating desensitization. The reductions seen in the second responses were proportional to the concentration used. 4. Under non-cholinergic conditions, the relaxant response to 30 microM nicotine was abolished by hexamethonium (100 microM) and significantly reduced by tetrodotoxin (TTX, 3 microM). The TTX-resistant component was not observed under NANC conditions. 5. NANC relaxation induced by 30 microM nicotine was significantly reduced by a specific anti-VIP serum (approximately 35% less than that seen with normal rabbit serum). 6. Nicotine (30-300 microM) caused significant, concentration-dependent increases in the outflow of VIP- and PHI-LI from the strips; these effects were also diminished with re-exposure. The increases in both types of immunoreactivity evoked by nicotine (300 microM) were abolished by hexamethonium (300 microM), TTX (3 microM) and a calcium-free medium. 7. These findings indicate that VIP and possibly PHI are involved in NANC relaxation of the rat gastric fundus induced by nicotine.

Mechanism of nitric oxide-induced contraction in the rat isolated small intestine

1. The contractile response to nitric oxide (NO) in ral ileal myenteric plexus-longitudinal muscle strips was pharmacologically analysed. 2. NO (10(-7) M) induced only contraction while 10(-6) M NO induced contraction followed by relaxation. Methylene blue (up to 10(-4) M) did not affect the NO-induced contractions but significantly reduced the relaxation evoked by 10(-6) M NO. Administration of 8-bromo-cyclic GMP (10(-6)-10(-4) M) only induced relaxation. 3. Sodium nitroprusside (SNP; 10(-7)-10(-5) M) induced concentration-dependent contractions per se; the contractile response to NO, administered within 10 min after SNP, was concentration-dependently reduced. The guanosine 3':5'-cyclic monophosphate (cyclic GMP) content of the tissues was not increased during contractions with 10(-8) M NO and 10(-6) M SNP; it was increased by a factor of 2 during contraction with 10(-7) M NO, and by a factor of 12 during relaxation with 3 x 10(-6) M NO. 4. The NO-induced contractions were not affected by ryanodine (3 x 10(-5) M) but were concentration-dependently reduced by nifedipine (10(-8)-10(-7) M) and apamin (3 x 10(-9)-3 x 10(-8) M). 5. These results suggest that cyclic GMP is not involved in the NO-induced contraction in the rat small intestine. The NO-induced contraction is related to extracellular Ca2+ influx through L-type Ca2+ channels, that might be activated in response to the closure of Ca(2+)-dependent K+ channels.

Cyclic GMP relaxes the internal anal sphincter in Hirschsprung's disease

In Hirschsprung's disease (HD), the aganglionic colon and internal anal sphincter (IAS) fail to relax. Aganglionic colon of HD patients relaxes in response to exogenous nitric oxide (NO), whereas the IAS from HD patients does not relax. The authors hypothesized that the failure of IAS relaxation is caused by a local deficiency of cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP), the final metabolite in NO-mediated smooth muscle relaxation. To test this hypothesis, the authors measured the isometric tension of smooth muscle strips taken from the IAS and aganglionic colon of patients with HD before and after exposure to cGMP and compared this with ganglionic colon and IAS from normal controls. In HD patients both the IAS and aganglionic colon relaxed in response to cGMP (P < .05). The amount of relaxation observed in both the aganglionic colon and IAS was comparable to that measured in the normal controls. The observation that exogenous cGMP relaxes the IAS, whereas exogenous NO does not, suggests that mechanisms for relaxation may be different than those in the aganglionic colon and may explain persistent IAS dysfunction after resection of aganglionic colon. The defect of the IAS in HD may be the inability of the NO/cGMP pathway to induce smooth muscle cell relaxation rather than a defect in the smooth muscle cell.

Effects of vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) on contractile responses of smooth muscle in rat stomach

1. The effects of vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) on contractile responses to carbachol (CCh), KCl and caffeine of the circular smooth muscle in rat stomach were examined by the isometric tension recording method and by measurement of the intracellular Ca level, [Ca]i, with fura 2. 2. Removal of extracellular Ca or nifedipine (0.1 microM) inhibited contractions induced by KCl (40 mM) and a low concentration (1 microM) of CCh but not that induced by caffeine (3 mM). After these treatments, the contraction induced by a high concentration of CCh (100 microM) changed to a phasic response. 3. VIP dose-dependently inhibited the contraction induced by 1 microM CCh, but not those caused by 40 mM KCl or 3 mM caffeine. 4. In Ca-free solution containing 2 mM EGTA, VIP inhibited the phasic contraction induced by 100 microM CCh, but not that induced by 30 mM caffeine. 5. CCh caused dose-dependent tension development concomitant with the increase in [Ca]i. VIP reduced both responses and thus did not affect the [Ca]i-force relation for CCh. In the chemically skinned muscle fibres, VIP had no effect on the pCa-tension relation. 6. It is suggested that the inhibitory effects of VIP on CCh-induced contractions are due to the inhibition of the processes of signal transduction from muscarinic receptors to voltage-dependent Ca channels and to intracellular Ca stores.

Nitric oxide, and not vasoactive intestinal peptide, as the main neurotransmitter of vagally induced relaxation of the guinea pig stomach

1. Nitric oxide synthase (NOS) was localized in the guinea pig stomach by immunocytochemistry. In vitro experiments were carried out on the isolated stomach of the guinea pig to study any possible links between nitric oxide (NO) and vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) in mediating relaxations induced by vagal stimulation. 2. NOS was localized to nerve cell bodies and nerve fibre varicosities of the myenteric plexus in wholemounts of the longitudinal muscle-myenteric plexus of the stomach fundus. The NOS-positive cells had a Dogiel type I morphology characteristic of motor neurones. 3. The cross-sections of the stomach wall showed NOS-positive neurones mainly in the myenteric plexus ganglia and NOS-positive nerve fibre varicosities in the circular muscle layer. 4. Relaxations induced by vagal stimulation were almost completely prevented by L-NAME with an IC50 value of 5.5 x 10(-6) M. This inhibition was reversed by L-arginine (2 mM). 5. VIP (100 nM) induced reproducible relaxations of the stomach. These were unaffected by tetrodotoxin (2 microM) or N omega-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME, 100 microM). 6. Desensitization to the relaxant effect of VIP partially reduced relaxations induced by vagal stimulation, glyceryl trinitrate or sodium nitroprusside but not noradrenaline. 7. These results show that NO has a neuronal origin in the guinea pig stomach, and support NO, and not VIP, as the major neurotransmitter of vagally induced gastric relaxation in the guinea pig.

Peptide histidine isoleucine-like immunoreactivity release from the rat gastric fundus

1. Longitudinal muscle strips from the rat gastric fundus were subjected to in vitro electrical field stimulation (EFS) under non-adrenergic non-cholinergic (NANC) conditions to study the release of peptide histidine isoleucine-like immunoreactivity (PHI-LI) and the correlation between PHI-LI release and NANC relaxation. 2. Different radioimmunoassay (RIA) systems employing C-terminal- and N-terminal-specific anti-PHI sera were used to determine the relative contributions of PHI and its C-terminally extended forms, peptide histidine glycine (PHI-Gly) and peptide histidine valine [PHV(1-42)], to the PHI-LI released by the rat gastric fundus. 3. In the presence of atropine (1 microM) and guanethidine (5 microM), EFS (120 mA, 1 ms, 0.25-32.0 Hz, trains of 2 min) induced frequency-dependent relaxations of 5-hydroxytryptamine (3 microM) pre-contracted strips. 4. EFS at frequencies of 8-32 Hz evoked significant increases in PHI-LI outflow. The increases in PHI-LI outflow evoked by 16-Hz EFS were abolished by tetrodotoxin (3 microM) and by a calcium-free medium, indicating an active release process from intramural nerves. 5. The EFS-induced release of PHI-LI measured with the N-terminal-specific antiserum was significantly greater than that detected with the C-terminal-specific antisera. 6. Sephadex G-25 gel permeation chromatographic analysis was performed on the PHI-LI release in response to 32-Hz EFS. A C-terminal-specific antiserum revealed one peak co-eluting with the rat PHI standard. When PHI-LI was measured with the N-terminal-specific antiserum, two peaks were found that co-eluted with the rat PHV(1-42) and rat PHI-Gly/PHI standards, respectively. 7. The present data suggest that the extended forms of PHI are the primary components of the PHI-LI released by NANC inhibitory neurones in the rat gastric fundus and support a NANC inhibitory neurotransmitter role for PHI and its extended forms in this tissue.

Mechanism of the contractile response to platelet-activating factor (PAF) of the rat stomach fundus. II. PAF-induced phosphatidylinositol turnover and desensitization

1. Accumulation of [3H]-inositol phosphates (IPs) was slightly enhanced by PAF in a concentration-dependent manner, but the accumulation was very small as compared with that induced by carbachol. 2. The levels of [32P]-phosphatidic acid which is transformed from diacylglycerol (DAG) were increased by treatment with PAF or with carbachol. 3. PAF-induced contraction was significantly reduced by treatment with phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA). 4. These results suggest that while PAF slightly stimulates the turnover of phosphatidylinositol (PI) in the rat stomach fundus, this response may not be responsible for the PAF-induced contractile response, and that the desensitization induced by repeated application of PAF may be due to the activation of protein kinase C.

Mechanism of the contractile response to platelet-activating factor (PAF) of the rat stomach fundus. I. PAF-induced contractile response and calcium mobilization

1. Platelet-activating factor (PAF) caused contraction of the rat stomach fundus in a concentration-dependent manner in the presence of atropine, guanethidine, chlorpheniramine, methylsergide, indomethacin, nordihydroguaiaretic acid and tetrodotoxin. 2. PAF produced phasic contraction followed by tonic contraction. The PAF-induced tonic contraction was significantly reduced by treatment with CV-6209, an antagonist of PAF, but phasic contraction induced by PAF was rather resistant to CV-6209. 3. The contraction induced by PAF was markedly reduced when tissues were previously exposed to PAF (desensitization). 4. Nicardipine reduced the PAF-induced phasic contraction but not of the tonic contraction. 5. PAF-induced contractions were almost abolished in Ca(2+)-free medium. 6. The Ca(2+)-contraction in Ca(2+)-free solution was significantly augmented by PAF, whereas the Ca(2+)-contraction in Ca(2+)-free, isotonic high K+ (60 mM) medium was unaffected by PAF. 7. These results suggest that PAF-induced contractile response in the rat stomach fundus is due to an influx of Ca2+ through voltage-dependent Ca(2+)-channels (VDC) and receptor-operated Ca(2+)-channels (ROC). It is further suggested that PAF may depolarize the stomach fundus and this depolarization may open the VDC, whereas PAF may not act directly on the VDC.

Involvement of nitric oxide pathway in non-adrenergic non-cholinergic (NANC) relaxation in the rat stomach: differential innervation of NANC nerves in the longitudinal and circular muscle of the fundus

1. The effects of NG-nitro-L-arginine (L-NNA) on non-adrenergic, non-cholinergic (NANC) relaxation elicited by transmural nerve stimulation (TNS) or high K+ were studied in the rat stomach fundus in order to investigate the mode of innervation of NANC nerves in the longitudinal and the circular muscle of the fundus. 2. Relaxation responses of the fundus to TNS were larger in circular than in longitudinal muscle strips. 3. Treatment with L-NNA (10(-5) M) reduced slightly but significantly the relaxation induced by TNS in both circular and longitudinal muscle strips of the fundus. The inhibitions of the TNS-induced relaxation by L-NNA were reversed partly by L-arginine (10(-3) M). 4. Although K+ produced concentration-dependent contraction in longitudinal muscle strips of the fundus, low concentration of K+ (20 mM) produced rapid and long-lasting relaxation in circular muscle strips of the fundus. 5. The 20 mM of K(+)-induced relaxation in circular muscle strips was significantly inhibited by L-NNA (10(-5) M) or oxyhemoglobin (2 x 10(-5) M). The inhibition of the K+ (20 mM)-induced relaxation by L-NNA was reversed by L-arginine (10(-3) M). 6. These results suggest that NO is one of mediators or transmitters in the NANC relaxation of the rat fundus, and that the density of NO-containing NANC nerves in the stomach fundus is richer in circular than in longitudinal muscle.

Mediators of nicotine-induced relaxations of the rat gastric fundus

1. Relaxations of strips of rat gastric fundus were elicited with nicotine (100 mumol/L), nitric oxide (NO; 30 mumol/L), sodium nitroprusside (SNP; 100 nmol/L) and vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP; 1 nmol/L). 2. Methylene blue (30 mumol/L), an inhibitor of soluble guanylate cyclase, reduced relaxations elicited by NO and nicotine, but not those elicited by VIP. 3. Chymotrypsin (1 U/mL) abolished VIP-induced relaxations and reduced nicotine-induced relaxations, but had no effect on SNP-induced relaxations. 4. NG-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME; 100 mumol/L), an inhibitor of NO synthase, reduced relaxations elicited by nicotine, but not those elicited by SNP or VIP. 5. When nicotine-induced relaxations had been reduced by either L-NAME or chymotrypsin, the addition of the other agent produced a greater reduction. However, the relaxations were not abolished. 6. Nicotine-induced relaxations were abolished by tetrodotoxin (1 mumol/L) or hexamethonium (100 mumol/L), indicating that they were due to activation of neuronal nicotinic receptors. Their reduction by methylene blue and L-NAME indicates that an NO-like mediator was involved. Their reduction by chymotrypsin indicates that a VIP-like peptide was involved. However, since they were not abolished by a combination of L-NAME and chymotrypsin, it appears that at least one more as yet unidentified mediator may be involved.

Modulation of non-adrenergic non-cholinergic inhibitory neurotransmission in rat gastric fundus by the alpha 2-adrenoceptor agonist, UK-14,304

1. The influence of the alpha 2-adrenoceptor agonist, UK-14,304, on non-adrenergic non-cholinergic (NANC) relaxation induced by electrical field stimulation was investigated in longitudinal muscle strips of the gastric fundus of reserpinized rats. 2. In tissues where tone was raised by 3 x 10(-7) M prostaglandin F2 alpha (PGF2 alpha), the inhibitory effect of 10(-6) M UK-14,304, on the NANC relaxations induced by short train stimulation (40 V, 1 ms, 20 s) was inversely related to the stimulus frequency (1-4-16 Hz). UK-14,304 (10(-6) M) did not influence relaxations induced by administration of exogenous nitric oxide (NO, 2 x 10(-6) M-10(-4) M). The inhibitory effect of UK-14,304 on the electrically induced relaxations was antagonized by 10(-6) M rauwolscine but not by 10(-6) M prazosin. 3. UK-14,304 (10(-6) M) also reduced the amplitude of the sustained NANC relaxation, induced by electrical field stimulation (40 V, 1 ms, 4 Hz) for 5 min. The effect of UK-14,304 was also antagonized by 10(-6) M rauwolscine but not by 10(-6) M prazosin. UK-14,304 (10(-6) M) did not reduce the relaxation induced by 3 x 10(-9) M vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP). 4. These results suggest that the release of the inhibitory NANC neurotransmitter during short train stimulation, thought to be NO, and during sustained stimulation, thought to be VIP, is inhibited by stimulation of presynaptic alpha 2-adrenoceptors in the rat gastric fundus.

Influence of vasoactive intestinal polypeptide and NG-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester on cholinergic neurotransmission in the rat gastric fundus

The possible modulating effect of vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP) and nitric oxide (NO), on cholinergic neurotransmission was assessed in longitudinal muscle strips of rat gastric fundus. VIP and NO are the putative co-transmitters of the inhibitory non-adrenergic non-cholinergic (NANC) neurones in this tissue. VIP concentration dependently inhibited cholinergic contractions induced by 2-min transmural stimulation, relaxed tissues, the tone of which was continuously raised by transmural stimulation, and shifted to the right the frequency-response curves for contraction induced by transmural stimulation with a cumulative increase of frequency. The same effect was found when contractions were induced with methacholine, suggesting that only functional antagonism at the postsynaptic smooth muscle cell level is involved. On 30-min incubations, 3 x 10(-4) M NG-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME) potentiated cholinergic responses to 20-s transmural stimulation, while not influencing contractions of similar amplitude evoked by methacholine; the cholinergic responses to 2-min transmural stimulation were also not influenced. The potentiating effect of L-NAME was prevented by L-arginine but not D-arginine. These results suggest that endogenous NO released from the inhibitory NANC neurones during short trains of transmural stimulation interferes with cholinergic neurotransmission either by functional antagonism of acetylcholine at the postsynaptic level or by presynaptic inhibition of acetylcholine release.

Influence of NG-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester on vagally induced gastric relaxation in the anaesthetized rat

1. The influence of the nitric oxide (NO) biosynthesis inhibitor NG-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME) on the gastric relaxation induced by peripheral vagal stimulation was investigated in the anaesthetized rat. 2. Peripheral vagal stimulation (10 Hz, 10 V, 1 ms for 20 s) induced a reproducible biphasic response: a short-lasting increase followed by a more pronounced decrease in intragastric pressure. This response also occurred in reserpinized animals (5 mg kg-1, i.p., 24 h before the experiment) while atropine (1 mg kg-1, i.v.) abolished the initial increase in intragastric pressure. 3. L-NAME (1-30 mg kg-1, i.v.) induced an increase in arterial blood pressure. L-NAME (1 mg kg-1, i.v.) had no influence on the vagally induced gastric response while L-NAME (10 and 30 mg kg-1 i.v.) significantly changed it: the initial increase in intragastric pressure was enhanced while the decrease in intragastric pressure was reduced or abolished. NG-nitro-L-arginine (L-NNA, 10 mg kg-1, i.v.) had the same effect. 4. An i.v. infusion of phenylephrine (10 micrograms kg-1 min-1) inducing a pressor response similar to that produced by L-NAME (30 mg kg-1, i.v.) did not influence the vagal gastric response. Infusion of L-arginine (300 mg kg-1 bolus, then 100 mg kg-1 h-1) starting 30 min beforehand, reduced the pressor effect and prevented the influence of L-NAME (10 mg kg-1, i.v.) on the vagal gastric response. Infusion of L-arginine (300mgkg-' bolus, then lOOmgkg-lh-') starting 30min beforehand, reduced the pressor effect and prevented the influence of L-NAME (lOmgkg-,i.v.) on the vagal gastric response. After injection of both atropine (lmgkg-', i.v.) and L-NAME (30mgkg-', i.v.), the vagally induced decrease in intragastric pressure was similar to that obtained under control conditions.5. These results are consistent with NO being released and inducing gastric relaxation during peripheral vagal stimulation. In addition to NO, another inhibitory non-adrenergic non-cholinergic neurotransmitter is released.

Responses of porcine gastric and duodenal smooth muscle to VIP

1. Mechanical activity was recorded in isolated muscle preparations from circular and longitudinal layers of gastric fundus, corpus and antrum and from the duodenum of pigs, using conventional organ bath technique. Rectangular current pulses were applied to the muscle strips for electrical field stimulation (EFS). 2. Fundic and circular corpus preparations developed a marked spontaneous tonic activity. Vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP, 10(-9)-10(-7) mol l-1) inhibited this spontaneous activity. This inhibitory effect was not affected by application of tetrodotoxin (TTX) showing its myogenic nature. 3. Pretreatment of fundic and circular corpus preparations with VIP reduced the excitatory responses to substance P, bombesin, serotonin and histamine, but it had no effect on the acetylcholine (ACh)-induced tonic and phasic activity. 4. Longitudinal duodenal preparations showed purely phasic activity which was almost insensitive to VIP. In circular duodenal preparations particularly strong spontaneous tonic contractions were observed which could be inhibited by VIP. 5. Circular duodenal preparations excised 3-5 cm postpyloric had a spontaneous tone which could reach up to 80% of the maximum contractions induced by 10(-4) mol l-1 ACh. These preparations were chosen for further pharmacological studies and for experiments with EFS. VIP was the most powerful substance for the inhibition of spontaneous tone, followed by serotonin, PGE2 and bradykinin. This type of preparation exhibited particularly strong inhibitory effects to EFS; even single stimuli could induce near maximum relaxation. The inhibition induced by EFS was unaffected by treatment with ATP, guanethidine, atropine, methysergide and apamin. TTX completely abolished the EFS-induced relaxation, showing its neurogenic nature. 6. Porcine circular duodenum is a good model for studying the transmitter system of the non-adrenergic, non-cholinergic (NANC) innervation. The results are consistent with the assumption that VIP is the transmitter in this system, although the very slow time-course of the VIP-induced inhibition in comparison with the EFS-induced inhibition is not consistent with this notion.

Effect of apamin on the responses to VIP, ATP and NANC neurone stimulation in the rat and cat gastric fundus

1. The influence of apamin on non-adrenergic non-cholinergic (NANC) relaxation and on the effect of the putative transmitters VIP and ATP was examined in the rat and cat gastric fundus. 2. In longitudinal muscle strips of the rat gastric fundus, ATP induced a biphasic effect, relaxation followed by contraction. The relaxant effect of ATP was blocked by apamin, whereas the relaxations induced by VIP and NANC neurone stimulation were not influenced by apamin. 3. In circular and longitudinal muscle strips of the cat gastric fundus, ATP only induced relaxation at high concentrations. The ATP-induced relaxation was increased in the presence of apamin, whereas the VIP-induced and NANC relaxations were not influenced. 4. It is concluded that the relaxant effect of ATP might be related to activation of apamin-sensitive Ca(2+)-dependent K(+)-channels in the rat gastric fundus. In the cat gastric fundus, apamin did not antagonize the relaxant effect of ATP so that it cannot be used to investigate an ATP involvement in inhibitory NANC neurotransmission in this tissue. No evidence for a presynaptic inhibitory action of apamin on VIP-ergic NANC neurones was obtained.

The effect of vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) on the contractile activity of human uterine smooth muscle

1. In the present study we examined the in vitro effect of vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) on spontaneous contractions in both inner and outer layers of non-pregnant human myometrium. A dose-dependent relaxation was observed, but with a marked difference in sensitivity to VIP between the two layers, with an IC50 value of 1 x 10(-8) and 1 x 10(-5) mol L in the outer and inner layers, respectively. 2. We also established that VIP did not directly stimulate the adenylate cyclase activity. The only slight stimulations were observed in non-initial rate conditions. The maximal response of this indirect effect was obtained for VIP concentrations between 1 x 10(-9) and 1 x 10(-8) mol/L and this occurred to the same extent (an approximately 1.4-fold increase) in both layers. However this response is specific, since structurally related peptides such as glucagon, gastric inhibitory polypeptide (GIP), secretin, or human growth hormone-releasing factor (hGRF) had no effect in our preparations. 3. Autoradiographic studies revealed that specific VIP binding sites were located on the vascularization of the intermediate vascular layer and on arterioles and venules distributed in the inner and outer myometrial layers. They were also present in the endometrium, but not on smooth muscle cells of either layer. 4. Such observations could provide evidence for another signal transduction pathway to mediate the biological effect of VIP. An additional intermediate step on the vascularization distributed in all of the muscle cannot be excluded.

Nitric oxide and vasoactive intestinal polypeptide mediate non-adrenergic, non-cholinergic inhibitory transmission to smooth muscle of the rat gastric fundus

The nitric oxide (NO) synthesis inhibitor NG-monomethyl L-arginine (L-NMMA) reduced NANC-mediated relaxations of isolated strips of the rat gastric fundus elicited by low frequencies or short periods of field stimulation, but D-NMMA had no effect. The inhibitory effect of L-NMMA on NANC-mediated relaxations was partially reversed by L-arginine but was not affected by D-arginine. A VIP antibody abolished the relaxant response to VIP and reduced the responses to stimulation. Residual responses to stimulation in the presence of VIP antibody were further reduced by L-NMMA. The tone of the fundus strip was slightly increased by L-NMMA and slightly reduced by L-arginine. The relaxation produced by VIP was slightly reduced by L-NMMA and enhanced by L-arginine. Relaxations produced by peptide histidine isoleucine, sodium nitroprusside or isoprenaline were not affected by L-NMMA or L-arginine. The results suggest that NO as well as VIP is involved in NANC-mediated relaxations of the rat gastric fundus.

Mechanical, electrical and cyclic nucleotide responses to peptide VIP and inhibitory nerve stimulation in rat stomach

1. Effects of apamin on electrical and mechanical activities and cyclic nucleotide accumulation in response to vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) and intramural nerve stimulation were investigated in isolated circular strips of the rat stomach in the presence of atropine and guanethidine. 2. Circular muscles generated rhythmic contractions and slow waves in the antrum but not in the fundus. Intramural nerve stimulation and VIP caused frequency- and dose-dependent relaxation of fundic strips and inhibition of spontaneous contractions of antral strips. Apamin partly reduced the responses to intramural nerve stimulation but not those to VIP. 3. In the antrum, apamin reduced inhibitory junction potentials (IJPs) evoked at the nadir of slow waves but not at their zenith. In the fundus, apamin partly decreased the amplitude of IJPs. Repetitive nerve stimulation was associated with an apamin-sensitive hyperpolarization and apamin-resistant decrease in the slow wave amplitude in the antrum. 4. VIP caused a dose-dependent hyperpolarization of fundic circular muscle membrane. In the antrum, VIP inhibited spike potentials superimposed on slow waves and it decreased the slow wave amplitude in about half of the preparations. These electrical responses to VIP were resistant to apamin. 5. Intramural nerve stimulation evoked an apamin-resistant output of VIP from muscle strips, which no longer occurred after tetrodotoxin or removal of extracellular Ca2+. 6. Intramural nerve stimulation and VIP elicited apamin-resistant increases in cyclic AMP and cyclic GMP accumulations. The effects of VIP on cyclic AMP were greater than those on cyclic GMP. The effects of intramural nerve stimulation on cyclic GMP were faster in onset than those of cyclic AMP. 7. It is suggested that VIP is a neurotransmitter of the intramural inhibitory nerves concerned in the apamin-resistant relaxation of the rat stomach.

Impairment of endothelium-dependent relaxation and changes in levels of cyclic GMP in aorta from streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats

1. Acetylcholine (ACh)-induced relaxation of aortic strips with endothelium and production of cyclic GMP between streptozotocin-induced diabetic and age-matched control rats were compared. 2. The concentration-response curve for ACh-induced relaxation was shifted to the right in diabetic rats. IC50 values for ACh were 4.57 +/- 0.67 x 10(-8) M and 1.00 +/- 0.87 x 10(-7) M in aortic strips from age-matched control and diabetic rats, respectively (n = 6, P less than 0.05). 3. Relaxations produced by atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) in diabetic aortae were similar to those in age-matched vessels. 4. Relaxations produced by sodium nitroprusside (SNP) in diabetic aortae were similar to those in age-matched vessels. 5. Basal levels of cyclic GMP and ACh-induced production of cyclic GMP were significantly decreased in diabetic rats. 6. These results suggest that functional changes in endothelium but not in guanylate cyclase activity in the aorta may occur in diabetes, and thus, spontaneous and ACh-induced formation of cyclic GMP may be decreased. This decrease in production of cyclic GMP may be responsible for the decreased response of the aorta to the relaxant effect of ACh.