The Effect of Urocortin 1 on Motility in Isolated, Vascularly Perfused Rat Colon / 대한소화기학회지

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Urocortin 1, a corticotropin-releasing factor related peptide, increases colonic motility under stressful conditions. We investigated the effect of urocortin 1 on colonic motility using an experimental model with isolated rat colon in which the blood flow and intestinal nerves were preserved. Furthermore, we assessed whether this effect was mediated by adrenergic or cholinergic nerves. METHODS: Colonic motility was measured in the proximal and distal parts of resected rat colon. The colon resected from the peritoneum was stabilized, and then urocortin 1 (13.8, 138, 277, and 1,388 pM) was administered via a blood vessel. Motility index was measured in the last 5 min of the 15 min administration of urocortin 1 and expressed as percentage change from baseline. Subsequently, the change in motility was measured by perfusing urocortin 1 in colons pretreated with phentolamine, propranolol, hexamethonium, atropine, or tetrodotoxin. RESULTS: At concentrations of 13.8, 138, 277, and 1,388 pM, urocortin 1 increased the motility of proximal colon (20.4+/-7.2%, 48.4+/-20.9%, 67.0+/-25.8%, and 64.2+/-20.9%, respectively) and the motility of distal colon (3.3+/-3.3%, 7.8+/-7.8%, 71.1+/-28.6%, and 87.4+/-32.5%, respectively). The motility induced by urocortin 1 was significantly decreased by atropine to 2.4+/-2.4% in proximal colon and 3.4+/-3.4% in distal colon (p<0.05). However, tetrodotoxin, propranolol, phentolamine, and hexamethonium did not inhibit motility. CONCLUSIONS: Urocortin 1 increased colonic motility and it is considered that this effect was directly mediated by local muscarinic cholinergic receptors.

Partial characterization of endogenous modulators of muscarinic acetylcholine receptors in human frontal cortex / Caracterización preliminar de un modulardor endógeno del receptor colinérgico muscarínico en corteza cerebral humana

Se reporta la existencia de un factor soluble endógeno de bajo peso molecular, derivado de la corteza frontal humana, el cual es modular la unión de [3H]-QNB al receptor colinérgico muscarínico. El efecto de esta sustancia fue de naturaleza no competitiva, ya que afectaba la capacidad máxima de unión, pero no la afinidad; sin embargo, un perfil bifásico, con inhibición hasta un 88-90 por ciento de la unión y una ulterior recuperación de hasta 50-60 por ciento de la inhibición, también fue observado. La acción de esta sustancia pareció ser reversible, resistente a la acción de la tripsina, termoestable, y presentó un peso molecular no mayor de 10.000 Da. Los resultados sugieren la posible existencia de heterogeneidad molecular en el factor endógeno aislado o la presencia de multiples sitios de acción sobre los cuales actuaría este factor

Noncompetitive inhibitors of the acetylcholine receptor help paint a picture of its ion channel

This review describes and analyzes the evidence from studies using noncompetitive inhibitors of the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor that the receptor's ion channel is formed by the second transmembrane segment of all five receptor subunits. Inconsistencies in this generally accepted model are also presented and discussed