[Smooth muscle preparations as models for studies of drug effects on organs]

The action of drugs on processes in smooth muscles, in their innervation or mucosa results in changes in contractility of the gut, airways, vessels and urogenital system. Noteworthy insight has been gained into the basic common characteristics ot smooth muscles as well as into special properties of individual smooth muscle types whose fundamental properties have become adapted to a particular situation. This insight along with knowledge on the subcellular and cellular organization of smooth muscle cells and of their innervation, on the role of the mucosa, and introduction of sophisticated electrophysiological, biochemical, isotopic and morphological methods makes smooth muscle suitable for investigation of elemental physiological and pathophysiological processes and of targets of drug action. The complexity of the smooth muscle tissue allows to study the mechanisms of drug action on the peripheral cholinergic, adrenergic, nonadrenergic-noncholinergic nerves and their neuromediators, on the epithelial and endothelial cells and the biologically active substances which they release, on the membrane and subcellular receptors, receptor coupled processes, ion channels, enzymes, Ca2+ availability, etc. Since most of these mechanisms operate also in other tissues, the obtained results may characterize drug action in other systems as well.