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Updated: Jul 24, 2026

Bladder Smooth Muscle Strip Contractility as a Method to Evaluate Lower Urinary Tract Pharmacology
Published on: August 18, 2014
Mode of stimulation of gallbladder contraction by substance K
1Department of Physiology, School of Medicine, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale 62901-6512.
Abstract:
Substance K (SK) contracted the guinea pig gallbladder in vitro by predominantly acting on the neurokinin (NK2) receptors localized on the smooth muscle. A comparison of the 50% effective dose among the tachykinins showed that SK is 20 and 176 times more active than neurokinin B (NKB) and substance P (SP), respectively. Senktide, a synthetic NKB agonist with presumably a specificity for only NK3 receptor subtype, was completely inactive even when tested at 6 x 10(-6) M. Studies on both atropine-treated tissues and [3H]acetylcholine release from myenteric plexus have revealed a minor action of SK by way of a stimulation on the intramural cholinergic neurons. There was still a residual 77.4% SK-evoked contraction that was not blocked by atropine. However, the SK-induced contraction was completely abolished in the presence of 1-(5-isoquinolinylsulfonyl)-2-methyl-piperazine, a direct protein kinase C (PKC) inhibitor. This latter observation suggests a link in the PKC-specific pathway of intracellular signal transduction initiated by NK2 receptor activation on the gallbladder musculature. The preponderance of NK2 receptor subtype further implies a unique functional role it may play in gallbladder contractility.
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