Passive and active membrane properties of canine gastric antral circular muscles

Experiments were performed to determine the mechanisms responsible for the gradient of electrical activity within circular muscle of the canine gastric antrum. Cable properties of canine gastric antral circular muscles were determined using the partitioned chamber technique of Abe and Tomita (J. Physiol. Lond. 196: 87-100, 1968). The length constant of the circular muscle near the myenteric plexus was 2.4 mm. This was significantly greater than the length constant of the circular muscle near the submucosa (1.7 mm). Membrane time constants were determined by two techniques. Although the time constant of the circular muscle near the myenteric plexus tended to be greater than that of the circular muscle near the submucosa, this difference was not statistically significant. The two regions of circular muscle also differed in their relative levels of excitability. Submucosal circular muscles demonstrated considerably more outward rectification on depolarization and were difficult to bring to threshold for slow waves. This study demonstrates that significant differences exist in the passive and active membrane properties of myenteric and submucosal circular muscle cells. The data help explain the gradient of electrical activity through the thickness of antral circular muscle.