Acute experimental esophagitis impairs signal transduction in cat lower esophageal sphincter circular muscle.

It has been previously shown that induction of experimental esophagitis in the cat by esophageal perfusion for 30 minutes with 0.1N HCl for 4 consecutive days results in a significant reduction of in vivo lower esophageal sphincter (LES) resting pressure and in vitro spontaneous tone without affecting esophageal response to KCl. It has also been shown that basal LES tone and LES contraction in response to acetylcholine depend on the release of calcium from intercellular stores, whereas esophageal contraction is mediated by extracellular calcium. The present report shows that esophageal acid perfusion impairs the transduction pathway mediating lower esophageal sphincter contraction in response to acetylcholine through release of intracellular calcium because LES strips and single cells no longer contract in response to acetylcholine if calcium is removed from the physiologic salt solution. This suggests that either the intracellular calcium stores or the release mechanisms that mediate maintenance of tone and contraction in response to acetylcholine may be damaged. However, the acid perfusion has no effect on the acetylcholine response in the esophagus, which is mediated by the influx of extracellular calcium. In the LES circular muscle, the injury results in reduced levels of inositol phosphates without affecting resting levels of 5'-cyclic adenosine monophosphate or 5'-cyclic guanosine monophosphate. The reduced levels of 1,4,5-inositol trisphosphate are consistent with impairment in the mechanisms responsible for release of intracellular calcium, although concurrent damage to calcium stores may also occur.

VIP-induced alterations in cAMP and inositol phosphates in the lower esophageal sphincter.

Adenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (cAMP), guanosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (cGMP), and inositol phosphate (IP) levels were measured in thin tissue samples from the circular smooth muscle of the cat lower esophageal sphincter (LES) at 37 degrees C during vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP)-induced relaxation. On exposure of in vitro LES circular muscle strips to 10(-6) M VIP at the same temperature, relaxation of spontaneous resting tone begins within 3-6 s, is half maximal at 30 s, and maximal at 1 min. VIP-induced changes in cAMP, cGMP, and IP metabolite levels were measured at 5 and 30 s after the addition of 10(-6) M VIP. At 5 s cAMP levels increased significantly with respect to time-matched unstimulated controls, whereas inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (1,4,5-IP3) decreased and these changes remained constant at 30 s. cGMP levels were unchanged at either 5 or 30 s after exposure to 10(-6) M VIP. These data suggest that VIP-induced relaxation is temporally linked to decreased 1,4,5-IP3 as well as increased cAMP levels.