The mechanism(s) involved in determining the voiding cycle of the rat urinary bladder have been investigated in urethan-anesthetized animals. Fluid emission is almost confined to that phase of the voiding cycle which is characterized by the presence of a series of high-frequency oscillations in intraluminal pressure (IPHFO). During this phase the mean urethral flow rate reached a maximum and fluid was expelled in a stream-like fashion. The index obtained by multiplying the amplitude of IPHFO by their duration was significantly related to the maximal value of urethral flow rate. The IPHFO were selectively abolished by administration of d-tubocurarine at a dose that barely affects detrusor contractility. Moreover, d-tubocurarine reduced mean urethral flow rate and increased residual volume. The reflex (hexamethonium sensitive) mechanism(s) responsible for the generation of IPHFO is more developed in male than female rats. This mechanism, which involves activation of skeletal muscle, plays a significant role in determining bladder voiding in this species.

In the rat isolated urinary bladder, NaHS (30 mM-3 mM) and capsaicin (10 nM-3 mM) produced concentration-dependent contractile responses (pEC 50 ¼ 3.570.02 and 7.170.02, respectively) undergoing dramatic tachyphylaxis. In preparations in which sensory nerves were rendered desensitized (defunctionalized) by high-capsaicin (10 mM for 15 min) pretreatment, neither capsaicin itself nor NaHS produced any motor effect. NaHS-induced contractile effects were totally prevented by the simultaneous incubation with tachykinin NK 1 (GR 82334; 10 mM) and NK 2 (nepadutant; 0.3 mM) receptor-selective antagonists. Tetrodotoxin (1 mM) only partially reduced the response to NaHS. These results provide pharmacological evidence that H 2 S stimulates capsaicin-sensitive primary afferent nerve terminals, from which tachykinins are released to produce the observed contraction by activating NK 1 and NK 2 receptors. While the molecular site of action of H 2 S remains to be investigated, our discovery may have important physiological significance since H 2 S concentrations capable of stimulating sensory nerves overlap those occurring in mammalian tissues under normal conditions.

In this study we describe the ability of two human urotensin-II (hU-II) derivatives [Pen 5 , .04, n ¼ 4, respectively). To our knowledge, urantide is the most potent UT receptor antagonist so far described, and might represent a useful tool for exploring the (patho)physiological role of hU-II in the mammalian cardiovascular system.

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Nociceptin (NC), a series of NC fragments, naloxone as well as the pseudopeptide [Phe1psi(CH2-NH)Gly2]NC(1-13)NH2 ([F/G]NC(1-13)NH2) were used to characterize NC receptors in peripheral isolated organs and in vivo. Experiments on isolated organs were performed in the mouse (mVD) and rat (rVD) vas deferens (noradrenergic nerve terminals), in the guinea pig ileum (gpI; cholinergic nerves) and in the renal pelvis (gpRP; sensory nerves), and, in vivo, by measuring the blood pressure (BP) and heart rate (HR) in anaesthetised rats. NC, NCNH2 and NC(1-13)NH2 acted as full agonists with similar affinities, while shorter fragments (e.g. NC(1-12)NH2, NC(1-9)NH2, NC(1-5)NH2) were much weaker or inactive. The inhibitory effects of NC were not modified by naloxone. [F/G]NC(1-13)NH2 acted as an antagonist with similar pA2-values (6.75 mVD, 6.83 rVD, 7.26 gpI) in the three species. In addition, it blocked NC actions in the rat in vivo. Linear Schild plots with slopes near to unity indicated that [F/G]NC(1-13)NH2 is a competitive antagonist, specific for NC receptors both in vitro (since it was inactive on opioid receptors) and in vivo (since it was inactive against carbachol). [F/G]NC(1-13)NH2 showed a residual agonistic activity in vitro (alpha = 0.2-0.3 in the rVD and gpI) and especially in vivo (alpha = 0.4 BP, 0.2 HR). These pharmacological data indicate that NC and related peptides exert their inhibitory effects in peripheral organs of various species by activating the same receptor type. Moreover, [F/G]NC(1-13)NH2 appears to be a useful tool for receptor characterization and classification.

1 The pharmacological pro®le was studied of MEN 11420, or cyclo{[Asn(b-D-GlcNAc)-Asp-Trp-PheDap-Leu]cyclo(2b-5b)}, a glycosylated derivative of the potent, selective, conformationally-constrained tachykinin NK 2 receptor antagonist MEN 10627 (cyclo(Met-Asp-Trp-Phe-Dap-Leu)cyclo(2b-5b)). and ion channels. 4 In the rabbit isolated pulmonary artery and rat urinary bladder MEN 11420 potently and competitively antagonized tachykinin NK 2 receptor-mediated contractions (pK B =8.6+0.07, n=10, and 9.0+0.04, n=12; Schild plot slope=71.06 (95% c.l.=71.3; 70.8) and 71.17 (95% c.l.=71.3; 71.0), respectively). MEN 11420 produced an insurmountable antagonism at NK 2 receptors in the hamster trachea and mouse urinary bladder. However, in both preparations, the eect of MEN 11420 was reverted by washout and an apparent pK B of 10.2+0.14, n= 9, and 9.8+0.15, n=9, was calculated in the hamster trachea and mouse urinary bladder, respectively. 5 MEN 11420 showed low anity (pK B 56) at guinea-pig and rat tachykinin NK 1 (guinea-pig ileum and rat urinary bladder) and NK 3 (guinea-pig ileum and rat portal vein) receptors. On the whole, the anities (potency and selectivity) showed by MEN 11420 for dierent tachykinin receptors, measured either in binding or in functional bioassays, were similar to those shown by the parent compound, MEN 10627. ) and intraduodenal (100 ± 300 nmol kg 71 ) administration of MEN 11420. MEN 11420 was more potent (about 10 fold) and longer lasting than its parent compound MEN 10627, possibly due to a greater metabolic stability. 7 A dose of MEN 11420 (100 nmol kg 71 , i.v.), that produced potent and long lasting inhibition of the contraction of the rat urinary bladder induced by challenge with the NK 2 selective receptor agonist [bAla 8 ]neurokinin A(4 ± 10) (10 ± 300 nmol kg 71 ), was without eect on the responses produced by the NK 1 receptor selective agonist [Sar 9 ]substance P sulphone (1 ± 10 nmol kg 71 ). 8 These ®ndings indicate that MEN 11420 is a potent and selective tachykinin NK 2 receptor antagonist. The introduction of a sugar moiety did not produce major changes in the anity pro®le of this antagonist as compared to MEN 10627, but markedly improved its in vivo potency and duration of action. With these characteristics, MEN 11420 is a suitable candidate for studying the pathophysiological signi®cance of tachykinin NK 2 receptors in humans.