Effect of dopamine on electrical activity of isolated stomach muscle in cats.

The effect of dopamine on electrical activity (gastric slow wave) of the stomach was studied in isolated stomach muscle strips of 145 cats. The gastric slow wave was recorded by four monopolar electrodes (Ag-AgCl) in Krebs-Ringer solution (pH 7.4, temperature 36 +/- 0.5 degrees C) bubbled with 5% CO2 in O2. Dopamine induced concentration-dependent alterations in frequency and propagation of slow waves. Development of irregular propagation was significantly suppressed by domperidone pretreatment. The variation of dopamine-induced slow-wave frequency was significantly inhibited by domperidone and phentolamine but not by propranolol, hexamethonium, and tetrodotoxin. The study indicates that a dopamine receptor exists in the stomach and plays a role in the genesis of gastric electrical abnormality.