Effects of peptidases on non-adrenergic, non-cholinergic inhibitory responses of tracheal smooth muscle: a comparison with effects on VIP- and PHI-induced relaxation.

1. The effects of peptidase enzymes on non-adrenergic, non-cholinergic (NANC) inhibitory responses of guinea-pig trachea to electrical field stimulation (EFS), and on relaxations induced by vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) and peptide histidine isoleucine (PHI) have been examined. 2. alpha-Chymotrypsin reduced both the magnitude and, particularly, the duration of the inhibitory response to EFS, whereas papain reduced only the magnitude. Aprotinin, a peptidase inhibitor prevented the effects of alpha-chymotrypsin but was without effect on papain. 3. alpha-Chymotrypsin and papain both abolished relaxant responses to exogenous VIP and PHI. The action of alpha-chymotrypsin was prevented by aprotinin, whereas that of papain was not affected. 4. The peptidases were without effect on concentration-response curves to methacholine or to isoprenaline. It was also observed that, in the absence of the peptidases, aprotinin had no effect on inhibitory responses either to EFS or to exogenous VIP and PHI. 5. It is suggested that neuropeptides, possibly VIP and PHI, released during EFS of guinea-pig trachea, partly mediate NANC relaxations, and that their action may be inhibited by peptidases. However, the lack of effect of aprotinin alone, on responses to EFS, suggests that, if endogenous peptidases are important in terminating the action of neuropeptides, they are resistant to the effect of this particular peptidase inhibitor. It is further suggested that neurogenic relaxation of guinea-pig trachea is also partly mediated by a substance, possibly non-peptide, other than VIP or PHI.