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. 1982 Jun;76(2):279–290. doi: 10.1111/j.1476-5381.1982.tb09218.x

The effects of substance P on smooth muscle cells and on neuro-effector transmission in the guinea-pig ileum

Kazuaki Fujisawa, Yushi Ito
PMCID: PMC2071777  PMID: 6178458

Abstract

1 The effects of substance P (SP) on the membrane and contractile properties of the smooth muscle cell, or on neuro-effector transmission in the guinea-pig ileum were observed by means of microelectrodes, double sucrose gap and tension recording.

2 SP (10-13-10-10M) induced a phasic contraction of longitudinal muscle strips, but did not change the muscle tone of circular muscle strips, in concentrations up to 10-8M.

3 SP (10-10-10-8M) evoked three different membrane responses in longitudinal muscle cells: (i) bursts of spike discharges with no significant change in the membrane potential and input membrane resistance; (ii) bursts of spike discharges with a small but clear depolarization of the membrane and increase in the input membrane resistance; (iii) slow waves with no change in the membrane potential.

4 In the circular muscle cells, low concentrations of SP (<10-8M) did not affect the membrane potential or the spikes, but SP (10-7M) increased the spike discharges with no significant change in the membrane potential.

5 SP (10-10M) reduced the threshold depolarization required for the generation of action potentials with no change in membrane potential of the longitudinal muscle cells.

6 Pretreatment with atropine (5 × 10-6M), tetrodotoxin (TTX 10-6M) or baclofen (4.7 × 10-6M) had no effect on the excitatory actions of SP on the smooth muscle cells of longitudinal and circular muscle strips.

7 Excitatory actions of SP on the membrane potential or spike activities of longitudinal muscle cells were preserved in NaCl but not in Ca-deficient solution.

8 SP (10-10-10-9M) enhanced the amplitude of the excitatory junction potentials (e.j.ps) evoked by electrical field stimulation in longitudinal muscle cells with no change in the membrane potential and input resistance. SP (10-10-10-9M), however, did not change the amplitude of inhibitory junction potentials (i.j.ps) recorded from the circular muscle cells.

9 These results indicate that SP in relatively low concentrations acts on both smooth muscle cells and on excitatory neuro-effector transmission in the longitudinal muscle; the main site of the action of SP is probably the muscle membrane.

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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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