VIP and acetylcholine: neurotransmitters in esophageal circular smooth muscle

Abstract

Vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP) and acetylcholine were evaluated as possible inhibitory and excitatory neurotransmitters in the cat esophageal circular smooth muscle. Circular muscle strips 2 mm in thickness were obtained from 1 to 3.4 cm above the lower esophageal sphincter and tested in vitro. Muscle strips contracted with bethanechol (10(-5) M) were relaxed by electrical stimulation (0.5-5 Hz) and by VIP (10(-8)-10(-6) M). Relaxation induced by electrical stimulation was blocked by tetrodotoxin, whereas VIP-induced relaxation was not affected. Highly specific VIP antiserum (5%) antagonized both VIP and electrically induced relaxation, and the antagonism was eliminated when the antiserum was neutralized with VIP (10(-6.5) M). Dopamine (10(-4) M) reduced the relaxation induced both by exogenous VIP and by electrical stimulation but did not affect the relaxation caused by sodium nitroprusside (10(-8)-10(-5) M). In untreated strips, physostigmine (10(-10)-10(-8) M) enhanced the off contraction in response to electrical stimulation, whereas atropine caused a dose-dependent reduction with complete abolition at 10(-4) M. These data suggest that in the esophagus inhibition and excitation are mediated by distinct mechanisms: VIP mediates inhibition and acetylcholine is responsible for the off contraction in response to electrical stimulation.