Biomaterial Database

Ethanol inhibits contractility of esophageal smooth muscle strips. 1995

J Z Fields, and M Jacyno, and R Wasyliw, and D Winship, and A Keshavarzian

Department of Medicine (Digestive Diseases and Nutrition, Loyola University Medical School, Maywood, Illinois, USA.

Acute ethanol (EtOH) in vivo decreases both the pressure of the lower esophageal sphincter (LES) and the amplitude of contractions of the smooth muscle of the lower esophageal body (LEB) in both man and cat. However, the mechanism of this inhibitory effect of EtOH is unclear. This inhibitory effect could be caused by a direct effect of EtOH on the esophagus or be secondary to known inhibitory effects of EtOH on the central nervous system. To this end, we evaluated the in vitro effect of EtOH on contractility of smooth muscle strips from both LES and LEB. Circular muscle strips from LES and LEB were isolated from cats. Changes in resting tension of LES strips and changes in stimulant-induced tension of LES or LEB strips were measured in the presence of up to five concentrations of EtOH (12.5- 100 mM). Stimulants included electric field stimulation (EFS) and carbachol. EtOH at 75 mM significantly decreased resting LES tension. EtOH also decreased maximal contractile responses to carbachol in both LES and LEB and increased the EC50 of carbachol for LES, but not LEB. EtOH also modulated EFS-induced esophageal contractility; EtOH potentiated EFS-induced "on-response relaxation" in LES and decreased EFS-induced "off-response contractions" In LEB. EtOH-induced inhibition of esophageal contractility seemed to be reversible. EtOH did not result in muscle fatigue. Thus, EtOH can directly inhibit contractility of the esophagus, and does so reversibly and at pharmacologically relevant concentrations.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D008297	Male		Males
D009119	Muscle Contraction	A process leading to shortening and/or development of tension in muscle tissue. Muscle contraction occurs by a sliding filament mechanism whereby actin filaments slide inward among the myosin filaments.	Inotropism,Muscular Contraction,Contraction, Muscle,Contraction, Muscular,Contractions, Muscle,Contractions, Muscular,Inotropisms,Muscle Contractions,Muscular Contractions
D009130	Muscle, Smooth	Unstriated and unstriped muscle, one of the muscles of the internal organs, blood vessels, hair follicles, etc. Contractile elements are elongated, usually spindle-shaped cells with centrally located nuclei. Smooth muscle fibers are bound together into sheets or bundles by reticular fibers and frequently elastic nets are also abundant. (From Stedman, 25th ed)	Muscle, Involuntary,Smooth Muscle,Involuntary Muscle,Involuntary Muscles,Muscles, Involuntary,Muscles, Smooth,Smooth Muscles
D009433	Neural Inhibition	The function of opposing or restraining the excitation of neurons or their target excitable cells.	Inhibition, Neural
D002415	Cats	The domestic cat, Felis catus, of the carnivore family FELIDAE, comprising over 30 different breeds. The domestic cat is descended primarily from the wild cat of Africa and extreme southwestern Asia. Though probably present in towns in Palestine as long ago as 7000 years, actual domestication occurred in Egypt about 4000 years ago. (From Walker's Mammals of the World, 6th ed, p801)	Felis catus,Felis domesticus,Domestic Cats,Felis domestica,Felis sylvestris catus,Cat,Cat, Domestic,Cats, Domestic,Domestic Cat
D004305	Dose-Response Relationship, Drug	The relationship between the dose of an administered drug and the response of the organism to the drug.	Dose Response Relationship, Drug,Dose-Response Relationships, Drug,Drug Dose-Response Relationship,Drug Dose-Response Relationships,Relationship, Drug Dose-Response,Relationships, Drug Dose-Response
D004943	Esophagogastric Junction	The area covering the terminal portion of ESOPHAGUS and the beginning of STOMACH at the cardiac orifice.	Gastroesophageal Junction,Gastroesophageal Junctions,Junction, Esophagogastric,Junction, Gastroesophageal,Junctions, Gastroesophageal
D000818	Animals	Unicellular or multicellular, heterotrophic organisms, that have sensation and the power of voluntary movement. Under the older five kingdom paradigm, Animalia was one of the kingdoms. Under the modern three domain model, Animalia represents one of the many groups in the domain EUKARYOTA.	Animal,Metazoa,Animalia
D046508	Culture Techniques	Methods of maintaining or growing biological materials in controlled laboratory conditions. These include the cultures of CELLS; TISSUES; organs; or embryo in vitro. Both animal and plant tissues may be cultured by a variety of methods. Cultures may derive from normal or abnormal tissues, and consist of a single cell type or mixed cell types.	Culture Technique,Technique, Culture,Techniques, Culture