| Abstract: | Prostaglandin (PG) E1, PGE2 and PGF2alpha and their biosynthesis inhibitor, indomethacin, were tested for their effects on the inhibitory responses of taenia induced by electrical stimulation of adrenergic and/or non-adrenergic inhibitory nerves in the perivascular nerve-taenia preparation isolated from guinea-pig caecum. The response to adrenergic nerve stimulation was considerably reduced by PGE1 and PGE2, while it was little affected by PGF2alpha. Although PGE1 and PGE2 produced contraction of taenia, it may be possible to dismiss from consideration their action of contraction of taenia in accounting for their inhibitory effect on the response to nerve stimulation since the following observations were made, 1) when the taenia were contracted by histamine, the response to adrenergic nerve stimulation was not reduced and 2) in the presence of polyphloretin phosphate, PGE1 and PGE2 did not contract taenia but reduced the response to adrenergic nerve stimulation. In the presence of indomethacin, the response to adrenergic nerve stimulation was increased greatly. On the contrary, the inhibitory response to non-adrenergic inhibitory nerve stimulation was not affected by application of PGE1, PGE2, PGF2alpha and indomethacin. These results suggest that endogenous PG of E series in guinea-pig taenia may play a role in modulating adrenergic neurotransmission. Attempts to demonstrate that PG could operate on a non-adrenergic inhibitory neurotransmission by a negative feedback mechanism were without success. |
