THE ACTION OF PAPAVERINE ON THE MUSCULAR ACTIVITY OF THE ALIMENTARY CANAL

¹ Department of Pharmacology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa

1. In the stomach papaverine acts similarly to morphine on the gastric musculature, reducing the tone level and abolishing peristaltic waves.

2. In the small intestine, subcutaneous, intramuscular and intravenous injections of 1 to 10 mgm. per kilogram of papaverine failed to influence the motility of the small intestine in any consistent manner. Only with intravenous injections of papaverine following morphine were we able to demonstrate any antagonistic action between the two alkaloids, and the antagonistic effect lasts but a short time.

3. In the colon papaverine decreases the frequency of the tone waves without changing the general tone level. This effect in the colon is comparatively slight; it occurs when papaverine is injected alone by any route and also when it is injected intravenously during the stimulation produced by morphine.