The effect of crotoxin on the longitudinal muscle-myenteric plexus preparation of the guinea pig ileum.

The effects of crotoxin, the neurotoxin of the venom of the South American rattlesnake (Crotalus durissus terrificus), was studied by using the myenteric plexus-longitudinal muscle preparation of the guinea pig ileum. Crotoxin (0.02-4.0 microM) caused depression of the twitch response of the electrically stimulated preparation. This transitory depression depended on the concentration of crotoxin; since crotoxin diminished the output of acetylcholine, this depression may be due to the inhibition of the release of acetylcholine from the plexus. Crotoxin also induced an early contraction, followed by relaxation; as the contraction was inhibited by aspirin and indomethacin, it may have resulted from the release of prostaglandin. In addition, a late persistent contracture was observed after the early contraction. The contracture was resistant to blockage by muscarinic, histamine and serotonin antagonists, to hexamethonium, a non-depolarizing ganglionic blocking substance and to tetrodotoxin, a sodium channel blocker. The contracture was blocked by an elevated concentration of calcium (10 mM) and by verapamil, a calcium channel blocker.