In a previous investigation (Gillespie & Mackenna, 1960) rabbits were given daily intravenous injections of reserpine for several days and the responses of an innervated preparation of the colon from these animals were studied in vitro, the entire parasympathetic and sympathetic outflows being available for separate stimulation. It was expected that reserpine, which is believed to deplete adrenergic nerve endings of their chemical transmitter sympathin, would abolish the inhibitory effect of sympathetic nerve stimulation; in fact, inhibition was consistently replaced by a large contraction. This finding was the starting point of the investigations reported in this paper. In addition it has been found that in preparations from reserpine-treated rabbits the inhibitory effect of sympathetic nerve stimulation can be restored by soaking in adrenaline or noradrenaline; the mechanism of this restoration has been studied. A preliminary account of these results has already been published (Gillespie & Mackenna, 1959).
METHODSRabbits of either sex were killed by a blow on the neck and bled. Two types of innervated intestinal preparations were used. First, the doubly innervated preparation of the rabbit colon in which the extrinsic sympathetic (lumbar colonic) and parasympathetic (pelvic) nerves can be separately stimulated, by means of fluid electrodes. The dissection of this preparation and the details of the electrodes have been described (Garry & Gillespie, 1955). The second type of preparation consisted of a length of about 4 cm of mid ileum together with the mesentery and mesenteric artery supplying the region. The artery, plus some adjacent mesentery, was drawn into a fluid electrode and the periarterial nerves were stimulated. The preparations were suspended in a 200 ml. bath filled with Krebs's saline solution at 360 C and oxygenated by a gas mixture of 95% 02 and 5 % CO2. The composition of the saline solution was (g/l.) NaCl 6-92, KCI 0.35, CaCl2 0-28, KH2PO4 0-16, NaHCO3 21, MgSO4. 7H20 0-29, glucose 2-0. The contractions of the preparations were recorded with a light isotonic gimbal lever exerting a tension of 0*5 g and writing sideways on a smoked drum. The nerves were stimulated with 1 msec rectangular pulses whose voltage was adjusted to give maximal responses. The duration of stimulation was usually 15 sec and the frequency 10/sec for the pelvic nerve and 50/sec for the lumbar colonic nerves. Where other frequencies or durations of stimulation were used this is indicated. 2PHYSIO. CLVI