Mechanisms of cAMP-mediated relaxation of distal circular muscle in rabbit colon

Photolytic release of free adenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (cAMP) from its caged form was used to evaluate the physiological role of several proposed mechanisms of cAMP-mediated relaxation of circular smooth muscle in the distal rabbit colon. Photolysis of caged cAMP produced a rapid relaxation of bethanechol-contracted distal circular muscle strips that was dependent on ultraviolet exposure time. An increase in release of free cAMP, associated with increased ultraviolet exposure, was confirmed with high-performance liquid chromatography. Vanadate (an ATPase inhibitor) (3 mM) caused a 48% decrease in cAMP-mediated relaxation, while ouabain and a zero K+ bath solution failed to affect relaxation. cAMP-mediated relaxation of KCl-contracted strips was significantly less effective than that of bethanechol-contracted strips. Although this finding suggested that cAMP-mediated relaxation may involve K+ channel modulation, specific (glibenclamide, charybdotoxin) and nonspecific (TEA) K+ channel blockade failed to affect cAMP-mediated relaxation of bethanechol-contracted strips. The photolytic release of cAMP failed to relax Ca(2+)-contracted saponin skinned muscle strips. These studies suggest 1) modulation of Ca2+ pumps plays an important role in this model of relaxation of distal colonic circular muscle in the rabbit colon, 2) modulation of the Na+ pump or sarcolemmal K+ channels may not play an important physiological role in relaxation induced by a rapid rise in intracellular cAMP, and 3) cAMP does not seem to have a significant physiological effect on the Ca2+ sensitivity contractile apparatus.