ACh release from horse airway cholinergic nerves: effects of stimulation intensity and muscle preload

This study was conducted to determine the effects of stimulation parameters and muscle preload on acetylcholine (ACh) release induced by electrical field stimulation (EFS) of horse airway cholinergic nerves. Trachealis strip bundles were prepared and suspended in 2-ml tissue baths. The tissues were stimulated three to five times for 30 min each. Increasing frequency (0.5-16 Hz) and voltage (5-20 V) increased ACh release; increasing pulse duration (0.5-3 ms) had only a minor effect. Alterations in muscle preload (2-20 g) had no effect on ACh release. ACh release was fairly constant for up to five repeated stimulation periods with the same EFS parameters. Stimulation of the tissues for 15 min released the same amount of ACh as 30 min if the amount was expressed as picomoles per gram per minute, suggesting that ACh release rate was constant during the 30-min period of stimulation. Atropine (10(-6) M) potentiated the release of ACh four- to fivefold, presumably by removing the autoinhibitory effect of ACh on the cholinergic nerves. Tetrodotoxin (10(-6) M) abolished the EFS-induced ACh release.