A NON‐ADRENERGIC INHIBITORY NERVOUS PATHWAY IN GUINEA‐PIG TRACHEA

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Abstract
1 Electrical stimulation of the guinea-pig isolated tracheal tube causes a biphasic response, initially excitatory and then inhibitory. The excitatory response was abolished by atropine leaving the inhibitory response unaffected. 2 The inhibitory response was greatly reduced but not abolished by propranolol or guanethidine. A residual inhibitory response was still present in tracheas in which sympathetic nerve function had been abolished by pretreatment with syrosingopine or 6-hydroxydopamine. These results show that the inhibitory response is predominantly adrenergic but that a small non-adrenergic component is also present. 3 The non-adrenergic inhibitory response was abolished by lignocaine and tetrodotoxin suggesting that it is nervous in origin. 4 Optimal stimulation parameters for the predominantly adrenergic inhibitory response were a pulse width of 0.7–2 ms, a stimulation period of 7 s and a frequency of 20 Hz. For the non-adrenergic inhibitory response, optimal stimulation parameters were a pulse width of 2 ms, a stimulation period of 12 s and a frequency of 20 Hz. 5 Evidence obtained with pharmacological antagonists, enzyme inhibitors and activators suggested that the transmitter mediating the non-adrenergic inhibitory nervous response is unlikely to be: acetylcholine, histamine, 5-hydroxytryptamine, cyclic 3′,5′-adenosine monophosphate or a prostaglandin. 6 The adenosine uptake blocking drugs dipyridamole, hexobendine and Dilazep potentiated the non-adrenergic inhibitory nervous response and unmasked inhibitory responses to adenosine and adenosine 5′-triphosphate. 7 It is concluded that electrical stimulation of the guinea-pig trachea, in addition to activating cholinergic and adrenergic nervous pathways, may activate a separate and distinct inhibitory nervous pathway. This pathway has some features in common with the non-adrenergic non-cholinergic inhibitory pathways in gastro-intestinal muscle.