THE DIRECT ACTION OF PROSTIGMINE ON SKELETAL MUSCLE; ITS RELATIONSHIP TO THE CHOLINE ESTERS

¹ From the Departments of Pharmacology and Medicine of Cornell University Medical College and the New York Hospital, New York City

1. The destruction of muscle cholinesterase was effected by the injection of an anti-esterase, di-isopropyl fluorophosphate (DFP), into the artery supplying the muscle.

2. The characteristic contractile response of cat skeletal muscle to the intraarterial injection of acetylcholine was found to be essentially unaltered in the absence of esterase.

3. The effect of DFP on the activity of skeletal muscle differs from that of prostigmine with respect to the time of onset and the contractile character of the response.

4. The response of the muscle to prostigmine, as in the case of acetylcholine, is the same in the presence or absence of cholinesterase.

5. It is concluded that the action of prostigmine is primarily a direct one and differs from that of a primary anti-esterase (DFP).

6. The chemical and pharmacologic similarity of prostigmine, acetylcholine, and carbaminoylcholine is pointed out; it is suggested that prostigmine be classified pharmacologically with the choline esters.

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