An in vitro study of the relationship between GABA receptor function and propulsive motility in the distal colon of the rabbit

• Published in: British journal of pharmacology Vol. 98; no. 4; pp. 1109 - 1118
• Main Authors: Tonini, M., Crema, A., Frigo, G.M., Rizzi, C.A., Manzo, L., Candura, S.M., Onori, L.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford, UK Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01.12.1989; Nature Publishing
• Subjects: Amino Acids - pharmacology; Amino Acids, Neutral; Animals; Autonomic Nervous System - drug effects; Baclofen - pharmacology; Biological and medical sciences; Colon - drug effects; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; gamma-Aminobutyric Acid - analogs & derivatives; gamma-Aminobutyric Acid - pharmacology; Gastrointestinal Motility - drug effects; In Vitro Techniques; Intestine. Mesentery; Male; Muscle Relaxation - drug effects; Muscle, Smooth - drug effects; Picrotoxin - analogs & derivatives; Picrotoxin - pharmacology; Rabbits; Receptors, GABA-A - drug effects; Receptors, GABA-A - physiology; Taurine - analogs & derivatives; Taurine - pharmacology; Vertebrates: digestive system; Agonist; Motility; Digestive system; Gut; Electrophysiology; Rabbit; Lagomorpha; In vitro; Gabaergic receptor; Vertebrata; Mammalia; Aminoacid; GABA; Neurotransmitter; Colon
• ISSN: 0007-1188; 1476-5381
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1476-5381.1989.tb12654.x

1 The effects of γ‐aminobutyric acid (GABA), 3‐aminopropane sulphonic acid (3‐APS) and baclofen on spontaneous, electrically‐induced and propulsive motility were investigated in rabbit distal colon. 2 In unstimulated longitudinal (LMPs) and circular muscle strip preparations (CMPs) 3‐APS (10–200 μm) and GABA caused a clear‐cut relaxation susceptible to desensitization. Baclofen (10–200 μm) caused relaxation in a minority (30%) of preparations. The 3‐APS response was sensitive to tetrodotoxin (TTX; 1 μm), SR 95531 (a novel competitive GABAA‐receptor antagonist) (10 μm), picrotoxinin (30 μm), and insensitive to hyoscine (1 μm) and to a combination of prazosin (1 μm) and propranolol (1 μm). The baclofen response was antagonized by 5‐aminovaleric acid (DAVA, 500 μm), TTX and hyoscine and resistant to GABAA‐receptor and adrenoceptor blockade. GABAA‐receptors were therefore associated with non‐adrenergic non‐cholinergic (NANC) inhibitory nerve activation while GABAB‐receptors were involved in depression of cholinergic tone of smooth muscle. GABA (10–200 μm) elicited both above mentioned effects. 3 In LMPs, baclofen (10–200 μm) dose‐dependently inhibited submaximal responses to both cholinergic and NANC inhibitory nerve stimulation. This effect was resistant to SR 95531 and picrotoxinin and prevented by DAVA and baclofen desensitization. GABA (10–200 μm) mimicked the action of baclofen. GABA inhibitory effects persisted in the presence of GABAA‐receptor blockade. 4 In segments of distal colon, GABA and baclofen (1–200 μm), but not 3‐APS (1–200 μm), dose‐dependently decreased the velocity of propulsion of an intraluminally‐distended balloon. This effect was antagonized by DAVA and GABA or baclofen desensitization and resistant to SR 95531 and picrotoxinin. These antagonists per se had no effect on propulsion. In preparations in which propulsion was slowed by hyoscine (1 μm), baclofen caused no consistent further depression of propulsive activity. 5 Our results show that GABAA‐ and GABAB‐receptors are present in rabbit colon. GABAA‐receptor stimulation activates NANC inhibitory nerves without apparently affecting propulsion. GABAB‐receptors are associated with a reduction of neural (mainly cholinergic) activity subserving muscular tone and peristalsis and appear to be located on both cholinergic and NANC inhibitory nerves. However, the persisting propulsive activity during suppression of GABAA‐ and GABAB‐receptor function suggests that GABA in enteric neurones is not crucial for the neural circuitry subserving colonic peristalsis in this species.