The Evolution of Vascular Smooth Muscle Responses to Histamine and 5‐Hydroxytryptamine: II. Appearance of inhibitory actions of 5‐hydroxytryptamine in amphibians1

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Abstract
Systematic studies on the vascular smooth muscle responses to histamine and 5‐hydroxytryptamine, similar to those previously accomplished in jawless vertebrates and fish, were performed in amphibians (frogs, toads and salamanders). Both intact animals and artificially perfused preparations were studied. The effects were recorded as changes in systemic arterial blood pressure after intravascular administration of drugs or as changes in vascular resistance after introduction of drugs into the perfusion fluid during perfusion at constant flow rate. Responses to adrenaline, noradrenaline and acetylcholine were studied for comparison. The direct or indirect nature of actions produced by the different drugs were evaluated by means of pharmacological blocking agents. The outcome of the studies may be summarized as follows: Marked and specific inhibitory actions of 5‐hydroxytryptamine on vascular smooth muscle, manifest as vasodilatation, are present in all studied species, displaying a feature which has not been demonstrated in jawless vertebrates and fish. In addition, the blood vessels of some amphibians occasionally show a constrictor response to 5‐hydroxytryptamine. The nature of the latter response remains uncertain. Histamine apparently has but negligible influence on amphibian vascular smooth muscle. The inhibitory and stimulatory actions of adrenaline and noradrenaline and the stimulatory action of acetylcholine, pharmacological characteristics of vascular smooth muscle also in more primitive vertebrates, are retained in the amphibians, while the inhibitory action of acetylcholine, like the inhibitory action of 5‐hydroxytryptamine, appears as a new feature.

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