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. 1995 Sep;116(2):1789–1796. doi: 10.1111/j.1476-5381.1995.tb16664.x

Nitric oxide, an enteric nonadrenergic-noncholinergic relaxant transmitter: evidence using phosphodiesterase V and nitric oxide synthase inhibition.

S J Williams 1, M E Parsons 1
PMCID: PMC1909085  PMID: 8528561

Abstract

1. The effects of NG-nitro-L-arginine (L-NOARG), a nitric oxide synthase inhibitor, and SK&F 96231, a phosphodiesterase type V inhibitor, on electrical field stimulated (EFS) nonadrenergic noncholinergic (NANC) relaxations of rat fundal strips, guinea-pig isolated ileum longitudinal muscle with intact myenteric plexus, and guinea-pig taenia caeci were investigated. 2. Reproducible repeated control random EFS frequency-response curves were obtained for all three tissues. 3. Depending on the frequency of stimulation, L-NOARG (10(-4)-5 x 10(-3) M) caused either a complete or partial inhibition of the NANC-induced relaxations of the rat fundal strips and the guinea-pig isolated ileum longitudinal muscle with intact myenteric plexus, but not of the guinea-pig taenia caeci. The inhibitory action of L-NOARG was partially or totally reversed, depending on the tissue, by L-arginine (5 x 10(-3) M). 4. SK&F 96231 (10(-6)-10(-4) M) caused a concentration- and frequency-dependent potentiation of both the size and duration of the EFS-induced NANC relaxant response of rat fundal strips and guinea-pig isolated ileum longitudinal muscle with intact myenteric plexus, but not of the guinea-pig taenia caeci. 5. Zaprinast, another phosphodiesterase type V inhibitor (10(-6)-10(-4) M) caused a concentration- and frequency-dependent potentiation of the NANC relaxant responses to EFS of rat fundal strips. 6. SK&F 96231 and zaprinast alone (10(-6)-10(-4) M) caused a concentration-dependent relaxation of the agonist-induced tone of all three tissues with the maximum degree of relaxation found to be in the order stomach < ileum < caecum. This is the reverse order for ability of SK&F 96231 to potentiate relaxant responses to EFS.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

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Selected References

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