Abstract
The effect of neurotensin (NT) on [3H]acetylcholine release and contraction from isolated longitudinal muscle strip of guinea-pig ileum was examined. Neurotensin dose-dependently enhanced the release of [3H]-acetylcholine. This effect of neurotensin was inhibited by stimulation of alpha 2-adrenoceptors: noradrenaline, clonidine, xylazine or dexmedetomidine (alpha 2-adrenoceptor agonists) inhibited neurotensin-induced release of acetycholine (ACh) as well as the contractions, while CH-38083 or yohimbine (alpha 2-adrenoceptor antagonist) prevented this inhibitory effect. Our findings suggest that neurotensin may play a neuromodulatory role in the regulation of cholinergic neuronal activity in the gut and this modulatory effect is continuously controlled by the tonic activity of the sympathetic nervous system: endogenous noradrenaline release is capable of reducing the release of ACh and the consequent contraction of the gut enhanced by neurotensin.
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