Cholinergic prejunctional inhibition of vasodilator nerve function in bovine basilar arteries

Helical strips of bovine basilar arteries responded to transmural electrical stimulation with moderate relaxations that were abolished by treatment with tetrodotoxin and oxyhemoglobin and were significantly attenuated by quinidine, as were the relaxations previously seen in dog and monkey cerebral arteries. The relaxant response of the bovine arteries was attenuated by treatment with acetylcholine and physostigmine and was significantly potentiated by atropine. In contrast, relaxations of dog coronary arteries to transmural stimulation, mediated via beta-adrenoceptors, were not influenced by physostigmine and atropine but were attenuated by acetylcholine. Abundant fibers containing cholinesterase were histologically demonstrated in bovine basilar arteries, suggesting the presence of cholinergic innervation. Acetylcholine liberated from the cholinergic nerve appears to act on muscarinic receptors located in vasodilator nerve terminals in bovine cerebral arteries and to interfere with the release of vasodilator transmitters.