Secondary excitation of intestinal smooth muscle

1. A period of stimulation of intrinsic or extrinsic nerves to intestinal muscle is often followed by a secondary contraction. In the present work, the basis for such secondary contractions in the longitudinal muscle of the large bowel of guinea-pigs and rabbits was examined.2. In general, the action of cholinergic nerves did not contribute significantly to the secondary contractions. Concentrations of atropine or hyoscine, which completely blocked primary cholinergic contractions, potentiated or did not significantly reduce secondary contractions.3. Atropine resistant, nerve mediated primary contractions of the guinea-pig ileum were inhibited by anticholinesterases, although these drugs potentiated secondary contractions in other segments of the gut.4. The occurrence of a secondary contraction following inhibition of smooth muscle activity did not depend on the nature of the initial inhibition. Thus, secondary contractions were observed following the responses to both nonadrenergic and adrenergic inhibitory nerves, adenosine triphosphate, noradrenaline and brief periods of anoxia. The secondary contractions following hyperpolarizing drugs or anoxia were not prevented by tetrodotoxin in a concentration sufficient to paralyse all nerves.5. It is concluded that cholinergic nerves do not contribute significantly to secondary contractions except at frequencies of stimulation higher than about 50 Hz or after the inhibition of cholinesterases. In the segments of gut examined, the secondary contractions were principally myogenic.