Pharmacological characterization of opossum distal colonic muscularis mucosae in vitro

In muscularis mucosae from the opossum distal colon, both tone and spontaneous contractions were highly dependent on the available oxygen. Acetylcholine and histamine caused, respectively, atropine- and pyrilamine-sensitive contractions. Norepinephrine relaxed the tissue, an effect abolished by propranolol. Under these conditions norepinephrine failed to elicit contractions and at higher concentrations again caused relaxations. The tissue gave concentration-dependent relaxations to ATP but not to ADP, AMP, or adenosine. Electrical field stimulation (20-30 Hz, 1-2 ms, 120 mA) revealed a cholinergic excitatory innervation and a nonadrenergic, noncholinergic neural inhibition. Cholecystokinin, gastrin, substance P, and vasoactive intestinal polypeptide were without effect on this tissue. In these respects, colonic muscularis mucosae differs considerably from that of other gastrointestinal viscera.