Release of 5-hydroxytryptamine from isolated dog intestine by nicotine

Facilitation by endogenous acetylcholine and nitric oxide of luminal serotonin release from the guinea-pig colon

The present study was designed to determine the influence of endogenous acetylcholine and nitric oxide (NO) on spontaneous luminal serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine, 5-HT) release in the luminally perfused isolated guinea-pig proximal colon in vitro. 5-HT was determined by high-performance liquid chromatography with electro-chemical detection. The luminal outflow of 5-HT was significantly reduced by atropine (0.2 microM), hexamethonium (100 microM), the NO synthase inhibitor NG-nitro-L-arginine (L-NNA, 10 microM) and the NO-trapping agent 2-(4-carboxyphenyl)-4,4,5,5-tetramethylimidazoline-1-oxyl 3-oxide (carboxy-PTIO, 30 microM). Addition of excess L-arginine (300 microM) reversed the inhibitory effect of L-NNA on the 5-HT outflow. Physostigmine (1 microM) caused a great increase (atropine-sensitive) in 5-HT outflow. The enhancing action of physostigmine on 5-HT outflow was partially inhibited by L-NNA (100 microM) or carboxy-PTIO (30 microM), but was unaffected by the muscarinic M1 receptor antagonist pirenzepine (0.2 microM) or a muscarinic M3 receptor antagonist 4-diphenyl-acetoxy-N-methyl-piperidine methiodide (0.2 microM). These results suggest that 5-HT release from luminally perfused proximal colon of the guinea pig is stimulated via a NO pathway and cholinergic pathways which utilize muscarinic synapses and nicotinic synapses. Further, an intrinsic cholinergic-NO link appears to play a role in the stimulation of luminal 5-HT release, which may reflect the release of 5-HT from entero-chromaffin cells.

Effects of cigarette smoking or ingestion of nicotine on platelet 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) levels in smokers and non-smokers

Platelets of healthy smokers and non-smokers were prepared and their content of 5-hydroxytryptamine was determined by HPLC with electrochemical detection. Platelet 5-HT levels in smokers (728 +/- 156 pmol per 10(8) platelets, mean +/- SEM, n = 9) were significantly higher than those in non-smokers (353 +/- 156 pmol per 10(8) platelets, n = 11). Smoking of a single cigarette caused a transient increase in platelet 5-HT levels by about 350% in non-smokers, but had no additional effect in smokers. Similarly, chewing of nicotine gum (4-8 mg nicotine) resulted in a transient increase in platelet 5-HT by about 100% in non-smokers, but not in smokers. In conclusion, smoking of cigarettes can cause an increase in platelet 5-HT, most likely via an enhanced supply of 5-HT from enterochromaffin cells which can be stimulated via nicotine receptors.

Nicotinic and muscarinic modulation of 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) release from porcine and canine small intestine

Strips of porcine and canine small intestine were incubated in vitro and the release of 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) was determined by HPLC with electrochemical detection. The spontaneous outflow of 5-HT from the porcine and canine small intestine largely reflects calcium-dependent 5-HT secretion from enterochromaffin cells which are under a spontaneous neuronal, excitatory input as indicated by the inhibitory effect (30-40%) of tetrodotoxin. In both species, nicotine enhanced the release of 5-HT in a concentration-dependent manner by a maximum of about 50% at 100 microM. This effect was blocked by the nicotine receptor antagonist hexamethonium, but not by the subtype-selective nicotine receptor antagonist alpha-bungarotoxin. The effect of nicotine was rapidly desensitized. The presence of tetrodotoxin abolished the effect of nicotine on 5-HT release in canine tissue but not in porcine tissue. The presence of the muscarine receptor antagonist scopolamine prevented the effect of nicotine on 5-HT release from canine tissue, but significantly enhanced 5-HT release from porcine tissue. The muscarine receptor agonist oxotremorine inhibited 5-HT release from porcine tissue, but increased 5-HT release from canine tissue. However, in the presence of tetrodotoxin, oxotremorine enhanced 5-HT release in tissue from both species. In conclusion, activation of nicotine receptors induce the release of 5-HT from porcine and canine small intestine. In the dog, the effect of nicotine is mediated via the release of acetylcholine which then stimulates 5-HT release via muscarine receptors on the enterochromaffin cells. In the pig, the stimulatory effect of nicotine appears to be located directly on the enterochromaffin cells. In addition, activation of neuronal muscarine receptors in the porcine small intestine induced the release of a previously unidentified neurotransmitter which inhibited 5-HT release. Nicotine, via cholinergic interneurons, also appears to induce the release of this inhibitory neurotransmitter which opposes the direct stimulatory action of nicotine on 5-HT release.

Regulation of serotonin release from the intestinal mucosa

In the mammalian intestine serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine, 5-HT) is present in high concentrations in the enterochromaffin cells. The release of 5-HT from the intestinal mucosa is regulated by a complex pattern of neuronal and humoral inputs to the enterochromaffin cells. The enterochromaffin cells appear to be endowed with different inhibitory (alpha 2-adrenoceptors, GABAA- and GABAB-receptors, histamine H3-receptors, receptors for vasoactive intestinal polypeptide and somatostatin) as well as stimulatory receptors (beta-adrenoceptors, muscarine and nicotine receptors). The physiological significance of this complex system of receptors is suggested by experiments which demonstrate that the respective intrinsic neurotransmitters (catecholamines, acetylcholine, GABA and vasoactive intestinal polypeptide) released within the gut are involved in the regulation of the release of 5-HT from the enterochromaffin cells.

Cholinergic modulation of the release of 5-hydroxytryptamine from the guinea pig ileum

Isolated segments of the guinea pig ileum were vascularly perfused and the release of 5-HT and its metabolite 5-HIAA into the portal venous effluent determined by HPLC with electrochemical detection. Test substances were applied via the arterial perfusion medium. Oxotremorine inhibited concentration-dependently the release of 5-HT and 5-HIAA (by 47% at 1 mumol/l). Scopolamine (0.1 mumol/l) did not affect the release of 5-HT and 5-HIAA, but antagonized the effect of oxotremorine. In the presence of TTX (1 mumol/l), oxotremorine (1 mumol/l) increased the release of 5-HT by 150% and that of 5-HIAA by 220%. This increase was completely blocked by scopolamine. Hexamethonium (100 mumol/l) and TTX (1 mumol/l) reduced the release of 5-HT by 32 and 40%, respectively. DMPP (10 mumol/l) increased the release of 5-HT by 57%, and this effect was prevented by hexamethonium. Neither DMPP nor hexamethonium significantly affected the release of 5-HIAA. The enhancing effect of DMPP on 5-HT release was increased and prolonged in the presence of TTX or scopolamine. Nicotine (1, 10 or 30 mumol/l) alone did not cause a consistent increase in the release of 5-HT. However, in the presence of scopolamine nicotine increased the release of 5-HT by 57%. In conclusion, the release of intestinal 5-HT is facilitated via muscarine and nicotine receptors located on the enterochromaffin cells. Indirect evidence suggests that the release of 5-HT is additionally modulated by an as yet unknown inhibitory neurotransmitter released by muscarine receptor activation.

Spontaneous release of endogenous 5-hydroxytryptamine and 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid from the isolated vascularly perfused ileum of the guinea-pig

The spontaneous release of 5-hydroxytryptamine and its metabolite 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid from the enterochromaffin cells of the small intestine into the portal circulation was investigated in vitro using the vascularly perfused ileum of the guinea-pig. The release of 5-hydroxytryptamine decreased by 70% in a calcium-free medium and by 35% in the presence of tetrodotoxin. Inhibition of monoamine oxidase activity by pargyline (100 microM) had no effect on the spontaneous release of 5-hydroxytryptamine although it caused a 75% reduction in the outflow of 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid. Imipramine (1 microM), an inhibitor of neuronal uptake of 5-hydroxytryptamine, reduced the 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid outflow by 57% and increased the release of 5-hydroxytryptamine by 66%. The combination of both drugs showed no additional effect. The tissue content of 5-hydroxytryptamine and its metabolite was not changed after perfusion with the precursor L-tryptophan or monofluoromethyldopa, an inhibitor of the L-aromatic amino acid decarboxylase. The results show that the spontaneous release of 5-hydroxytryptamine and its metabolite reflects largely calcium-dependent exocytotic release of the amine. "Neuronal uptake" (into aminergic and/or enterochromaffin cells) followed by deamination appears to be the main pathway of 5-hydroxytryptamine catabolism in the guinea-pig ileum.

Cholinergic agonists induce vectorial release of serotonin from duodenal enterochromaffin cells

Serotonin-containing enterochromaffin cells in the rabbit duodenal mucosa span the tissue contacting both the luminal and serosal sides. When the serosal surface is stimulated with carbachol in vitro, serotonin is secreted on the serosal side but not the mucosal side. Carbachol added to the luminal side is ineffective. Atropine but not hexamethonium blocks the effect of carbachol. Acetylcholine on the serosal surface also stimulates serotonin release on the serosal side. These findings indicate that enterochromaffin cells possess on their serosal surfaces muscarinic receptors that mediate vectorial release of serotonin when activated by cholinergic agonists.

Inhibition of pancreatic secretion in man by cigarette smoking

Cigarette smoking has been linked to an elevated incidence of duodenal ulcer disease in smokers, although the mechanism is unclear. In 23 young normal subjects single or double secretin tests were performed during non-smoking and smoking periods. Cigarette smoking inhibited the secretion of pancreatic juice and bicarbonate in light smokers (< one pack/day for < three years). Heavy smokers (> one pack/day for > three years) exhibited depressed pancreatic secretory rates during non-smoking periods. Inhibition of pancreatic alkaline secretion by cigarette smoking could be the link between the habit and duodenal ulcer disease.