The efferent role of sensory axons in nerve-evoked contractions of bullfrog bladder.

The neural input to the frog bladder was characterized in vitro. The nerve-evoked bladder contraction consists primarily of an early parasympathetic cholinergic component and a later, longer-lasting non-adrenergic non-cholinergic component. This slow non-adrenergic non-cholinergic contraction is not only resistant to cholinergic and adrenergic antagonists, but also to H1 and H2 histaminergic antagonists and to the serotoninergic antagonist, methysergide. It is concluded that the non-adrenergic non-cholinergic contraction is mediated by an efferent action of the sensory system because it is resistant to ganglionic nicotinic antagonists and because it is elicited specifically by stimulation of the peripheral cut end of the dorsal root. 5-Hydroxytryptamine is a potent and specific inhibitor of the sensory non-adrenergic non-cholinergic contraction. Although the bladder smooth muscle is innervated by terminals containing a somatostatin-like substance, somatostatin does not cause a bladder contraction. Luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone, enkephalin, histamine, 5-hydroxytryptamine, adenosine and adenosine 5 monophosphate are also unlikely candidates for the non-adrenergic non-cholinergic transmitter because they do not produce bladder contractions and/or their antagonists are ineffective on the nerve-evoked contraction. A putatively sensory network of fibers containing a substance P-like material is located within the wall of the bladder. Substance P produces bladder contractions at concentrations as low as 10(-9) M and so it, or a related substance, is a viable transmitter candidate in this system. Adenosine 5'-triphosphate (ATP)(10(-5) M) also causes a bladder contraction and remains a possible candidate as well. The data demonstrate that the bladder contraction resulting from electrical stimulation of the bladder nerves is due in large part to the "antidromic" stimulation of sensory axons. The likely presence therefore of potent and releasable substances in the peripheral sensory terminals of the bladder suggests that this sensory system may exert significant local, efferent control of bladder smooth muscle (i.e. independent from the central nervous system).