Abstract

Alpha receptors on the intramural cholinergic neurons and on the smooth muscle cells are involved in the inhibitory effect of catecholamines on rat gastric fundus motility. The pharmacological characteristics of these alpha receptors were assessed using longitudinal muscle strips of the rat gastric fundus, contracted to a similar degree by electrical stimulation and by methacholine. All alpha agonists studied (norepinephrine, phenylephrine, methoxamine, clonidine, UK-14,304 and B-HT 920) concentration-dependently inhibited the stimulation-induced contractions. Norepinephrine, phenylephrine, methoxamine and clonidine also inhibited the methacholine-induced contractions, but for the same concentration of agonist, the inhibition was less pronounced than during electrical stimulation-induced contractions; UK-14,304 and B-HT 920 inhibited the methacholine-induced contractions only in a concentration of 10(-4) M. The effect of clonidine and UK-14,304 on electrical stimulation-induced contractions was antagonized competitively by the alpha antagonists rauwolscine and yohimbine (slope in the Schild plot not different from 1). The effect of norepinephrine and phenylephrine on methacholine-induced contractions was antagonized by the alpha antagonists prazosin, corynanthine and yohimbine; against phenylephrine, the antagonism was competitive (slope in the Schild plot not different from 1). It is concluded that the muscular alpha receptors in the rat gastric fundus are of the alpha-1-type. On the postganglionic cholinergic neurons, alpha-2-like receptors are present; it is not yet clear whether the pronounced effect of alpha-1 agonists on the cholinergic neuron activity is due to interaction with these receptors.