Involvement of substance P neurons in contractions of canine small intestine produced by mesenteric nerve stimulation

Tachykinins in the gut. Part I. Expression, release and motor function

The preprotachykinin-A gene-derived peptides substance P and neurokinin (NK) A are expressed in distinct neural pathways of the mammalian gut. When released from intrinsic enteric or extrinsic primary afferent neurons, tachykinins have the potential to influence both nerve and muscle by way of interaction with three different types of tachykinin receptor, termed NK1, NK2 and NK3 receptors. Most prominent among the effects of tachykinins is their excitatory action on gastrointestinal motor activity, which is seen in virtually all regions and layers of the mammalian gut. This action depends not only on a direct activation of the muscle through NK1 and/or NK2 receptors, but also on stimulation of excitatory enteric motor pathways through NK3 and/or NK1 receptors. In addition, tachykinins can inhibit motor activity by stimulating either inhibitory neuronal pathways or interrupting excitatory relays. A synopsis of the available data indicates that endogenous substance P and NKA interact with other enteric transmitters in the physiological control of gastrointestinal motor activity. Derangement of the regulatory roles of tachykinins may be a factor in the gastrointestinal dysmotility associated with infection, inflammation, stress and pain. In a therapeutic perspective, it would seem conceivable, therefore, that tachykinin agonists and antagonists are adjuncts to the treatment of motor disorders that involve pathological disturbances of the gastrointestinal tachykinin system.

Use of antagonists to define tachykininergic control of intestinal motility in pigs

The involvement of the tachykinins in extrinsic nervous control of motility was studied in isolated, vascularly perfused, porcine ileal segments. Substance P and neurokinin A (10(-8) M) stimulated motility, and nonpeptide NK1 and NK2 receptor antagonists (10(-6) M) abolished this. Electrical stimulation of the mixed extrinsic nerves (8 Hz) had no effect alone or with atropine (10(-6) M) or phentolamine (10(-5) M), but increased motility during coinfusion of both blockers. This effect was abolished by hexamethonium (3 x 10(-5) M), and was reduced by over 80% by the NK1 receptor antagonist. As previously shown, substance P and neurokinin A were released during nerve stimulation, only during blockade of alpha-adrenergic and muscarinic receptors, and the release was abolished by hexamethonium. Capsaicin infusions (10(-5) M) increased substance P and neurokinin A release, and weakly stimulated small intestinal motility, but this was not inhibited by the tachykinin antagonists. Our results suggest that intrinsic tachykinin-producing neurons, controlled by extrinsic, nicotinic, excitatory neural pathways, and extrinsic adrenergic, inhibitory pathways, participate in the regulation of small intestinal motility.

Effect of celiac ganglionectomy on tachykinin innervation, receptor distribution and intestinal responses in the rat

Substance P (SP) is an important neurotransmitter in the control of intestinal motility and is found in both the enteric and sympathetic nervous systems. This study examined the effect of celiac ganglionectomy on (1) mechanical properties of the circular muscles of the duodenum, ileum and proximal colon, (2) circular muscle responses to SP and neurokinin A. (3) distribution of substance P-like immunoreactive nerves, and (4) the distribution of neurokinin 1 and neurokinin 2 receptors. Celiac ganglionectomy resulted in an effective sympathectomy as evidenced by a marked decrease in norepinephrine content and tyrosine hydroxylase staining in the duodenum, ileum and proximal colon. The in vitro length/tension characteristics of the circular muscle of the duodenum, ileum and colon were unchanged after ganglionectomy. In all regions of the gut studied, substance P and neurokinin A caused dose-dependent contractions that were unaltered by celiac ganglionectomy. Immunohistochemistry revealed moderate substance P-like immunoreactive fibers in the myenteric plexus, submucosal plexus and circular muscle of the ileum, while in the colon, substance P-like immunoreactivity was intense in the myenteric plexus, and moderate in the circular muscle. In vitro autoradiography showed minimal binding of SP (NK1 receptor) or neurokinin A (NK2 receptor) in the ileum and significantly greater binding in the circular muscle layer of the colon. Celiac ganglionectomy did not affect substance P-like immunoreactivity, or NK1 or NK2 receptor binding. A greater contractile response to neurokinins was seen in the colon than in the duodenum or ileum, which paralleled the receptor density. The studies demonstrate that surgical celiac ganglionectomy, unlike chemical sympathectomy, does not affect the substance P innervation, receptor density or physiological responses of the intestine. The greater contractile response of the colon than the ileum parallels the greater receptor density rather than the peptide content as determined by immunhistochemistry.

Neuropeptide distributions in the colon, cecum, and jejunum of the horse

The pelvic flexure portion of the equine large colon is the proposed location of a pacemaker mechanism. This study was conducted to ascertain whether the distribution of certain putative neurotransmitters differs at the pelvic flexure compared to other sampling sites. Tissue samples were collected from the intestinal tracts of six horses. Serial sections from these samples were reacted with primary antisera specific for substance P, vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP), methionine-Enkephalin, and calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP). The regional distribution of immunoreactive neuronal elements was uniform for each of the neuropeptides except VIP. Although neurons exhibiting VIP-like immunoreactivity were abundant throughout the colon, they were somewhat more plentiful near the apex of the pelvic flexure and the left dorsal colon. These neurons may participate in the initiation and propagation of the propulsive/retropulsive contraction waves, which emanate from this location and are believed to lend a sphincter-like capacity to the pelvic flexure. The submucosal plexus was replete with neurons with intense substance P and VIP-like reactivity. Reactive fibers left submucosal ganglia to project to the intestinal mucosa, reflecting a possible secretogogic role for these neurons. This role may be especially important for the horse as a hindgut fermenter. There were abundant methionine-Enkephalin and substance P-like reactive varicosities throughout the myenteric plexus, many of which established a pericellular plexus of varicose fibers. The abundance of these varicosities, which may correlate with a high degree of neuronal integration, did not vary regionally. These data may enhance our understanding of both normal colonic peristalsis and motility disorders caused by a depletion of these neuropeptides.

Antidromic activation of vagal and sympathetic afferents does not produce intestinal contractions in dogs

The question has been asked whether vagal and sympathetic afferents activated antidromically play a role as motor nerves on the in vivo small intestine in dogs anesthetized with urethane. The vagus nerve of one side was cut above the nodose ganglion and the efferent fibers allowed to degenerate. Peripheral stimulation (5-50 Hz, 0.5-3 ms, 5-25 V) of an intact cervical vagus, being able to excite both efferent and afferent fibers, caused large contractions in the jejunum and stomach, whereas stimulation of the contralateral cut cervical vagus could not produce any response in the jejunum but small contractions in the stomach. Peripheral stimulation of the cut cervical vagus did not produce bradycardia and hypotension. Single- and multi-unit discharges to distension of the jejunal segments could be recorded from the peripheral cut end of the cut cervical vagus. Immunohistochemically, there were many substance P-containing cells in both nodose ganglia. Antidromic stimulation of the dorsal roots (T7-T10) did not induce any response in the jejunum but contractions in the stomach. The results may confirm that vagal and sympathetic afferents have no antidromic motor function at least in the in vivo canine small intestine.