Cat carotid body chemoreceptor responses before and after nicotine receptor blockade with alpha-bungarotoxin

The nature of nicotine receptors in the carotid body was studied in anesthetized, paralyzed and artificially ventilated cats. Chemoreceptor discharge in single or few-fiber preparations of the carotid sinus nerve was measured during isocapnic hypoxia, hyperoxic hypercapnia and in response to nicotine injections before and after administration of alpha-bungarotoxin (10 cats) and after alpha-bungarotoxin plus mecamylamine (7 cats) which binds to neuromuscular-type nicotine cholinergic receptors. alpha-Bungarotoxin caused a slight enhancement of the chemoreceptor response to hypoxia without affecting the chemoreceptor stimulation by nicotine. Mecamylamine (1-5 mg, i.v.), a ganglionic-type nicotinic receptor blocker, had no further effect on the response to hypoxia while it completely abolished the chemoreceptor stimulation by nicotine. Thus the nicotinic receptors in the cat carotid body which elicit excitation of chemosensory fibers appear to be of the ganglionic-type. Blockade of neuromuscular and ganglionic types of nicotinic receptors in the carotid body by alpha-bungarotoxin and mecamylamine does not attenuate the chemosensory responses to either hypoxia or hypercapnia. These nicotinic receptors therefore, do not appear to play an essential role in hypoxic or hypercapnic chemoreception in the cat carotid body.