The electrical activities of longitudinal and circular smooth muscle of the anal sphincteric area have been studied in the cat. 2. Electromyographic recordings were achieved with extracellular electrodes, in vivo on acute and chronic animals, and in vitro on the isolated organ. In addition, electrical and mechanical activities were recorded from muscle strips with the sucrose gap technique. 3. Circular muscle coat electrical activity consisted exclusively of slow variations of the membrane potential of the smooth muscle cells. Each slow potential variation was followed by a contraction. 4. The electrical activity and the concomitant contractions were tetrodotoxin resistant (10(-6) g/ml.). Both disappeared in Ca-free solution or in the presence of Mn ions (10(-3) M). 5. On circular muscle, noradrenaline (10(-8)-10(-7) g/ml. in vitro, or 0.1-0.15 mg/kg in vivo) had an excitatory effect consisting in an increase of slow potential frequency. The action of noradrenaline was antagonized by phentolamine (10(-6)-10(-5) g/ml. in vitro, or 0.2 mg/kg in vivo). 6. On circular muscle, acetylcholine (10(-8)-10(-6) g/ml.), used exclusively on muscle strips, did never produce any clear cut effect. 7. Longitudinal muscle coat electrical activity consisted of spike potentials superimposed on slow time course depolarizations which were never observed alone. Each spike was followed by a contraction. This electrical activity was tetrodotoxin resistant (10(-6) g/ml.). 8. Longitudinal muscle activity was abolished by noradrenaline (10(-6) g/ml.) and enhanced by acetylcholine (10(-8)-10(-6) g/ml.). The action of noradrenaline was antagonized by propranolol (0.2 mg/kg I.V.; 10(-6) g/ml.) and that of acetylcholine by atropine (10(-7) g/ml.). 9. Electrophysiological and pharmacological data indicate that electromechanical coupling is achieved (1) in circular muscle, through Ca dependent slow variations in membrane potential of the muscle cells and (2) in longitudinal muscle, through spike potentials. Noradrenaline has opposite effects on the two muscle coats: circular muscle is excited through alpha-receptors located on muscle cells membrane; longitudinal muscle is inhibited through beta-receptors. Acetylcholine excites longitudinal muscle through muscarinic receptors, but it has no effect on circular muscle.
