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. 1970 Feb;206(2):383–395. doi: 10.1113/jphysiol.1970.sp009019

Release of acetylcholine by chick embryo heart before innervation

E Coraboeuf, G Le Douarin, G Obrecht-Coutris
PMCID: PMC1348652  PMID: 5498489

Abstract

1. In chick embryo hearts, 3-day-old and not yet innervated, repetitive direct stimulation causes a transitory inhibition of the spontaneous rhythm.

2. The degree of post-stimulation inhibition depends on the frequency and duration of the artificial stimulation and on the concentration of K and Ca ions in the extracellular solution.

3. After treatment with atropine (10-5 g/ml.) post-stimulation inhibition is no longer observed. The spontaneous rhythm is accelerated by atropine. The findings therefore suggest that an ACh-like substance is released from the non-innervated embryonic heart during activity.

4. By use of the dorsal muscle of the leech for biological assay the liberation of an ACh-like substance from the non-innervated embryonic heart was confirmed.

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Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

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