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DESENSITIZATION IN THE INNERVATED AND IN THE CHRONICALLY DENERVATED SOLEUS MUSCLE OF THE MOUSE
Author(s) -
HALL MOIRA T.,
MALEQUE M.A.,
WADSWORTH R.M.
Publication year - 1975
Publication title -
british journal of pharmacology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.432
H-Index - 211
eISSN - 1476-5381
pISSN - 0007-1188
DOI - 10.1111/j.1476-5381.1975.tb07620.x
Subject(s) - desensitization (medicine) , acetylcholine , endocrinology , medicine , chemistry , caffeine , denervation , soleus muscle , carbachol , acetylcholine receptor , biology , skeletal muscle , stimulation , receptor
1 A study was made of desensitization in chronically denervated and in normally innervated mouse soleus muscles. 2 Very high concentrations of acetylcholine produced small contractions of the innervated muscles; these were reduced in size when the addition was repeated 1 min after wash‐out. 3 Desensitization in innervated muscles was receptor specific: contractions in response to KCl and caffeine were not reduced following acetylcholine, nor did KCl produce desensitization. 4 In chronically denervated muscles non‐specific desensitization was observed if acetylcholine was added in the presence of low concentrations of acetylcholine or carbachol. Contractions to KCl but not to caffeine were reduced. KCl produced a similar kind of desensitization. 5 After washing out moderate or supramaximal concentrations from the chronically denervated muscle no desensitization was observed. However, 1 min after washout of very high concentrations the muscle was non‐specifically desensitized. 6 It is concluded that relatively high concentrations of acetylcholine are required to produce specific desensitization in the soleus muscle. Chronically denervated muscles, being supersensitive, show non‐specific loss of sensitivity with concentrations of acetylcholine too low to produce specific desensitization.