The nature of the 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) receptor subtype controlling acetylcholine release and contraction induced by stimulation of the neurokinin NK3 receptor has been studied in the longitudinal muscle-myenteric plexus preparation from guinea-pig ileum. 2. In preparations preloaded with [3H]-choline, the selective NK3 agonist, senktide, produced a concentration-dependent increase in tritium overflow, an index of [3H]-acetylcholine release. Low concentrations of neurokinin B, also markedly increased tritium efflux. 3. The senktide-induced acetylcholine release was markedly increased by the same concentration of methysergide and mesulergine. The 5-HT2A/2C agonist DOI (1 microM) inhibited the tritium overflow while 8-OH-DPAT, sumatriptan and ketanserin (1 microM each) were without effect on the senktide-induced tritium efflux. 4. The contractile response to senktide in the guinea-pig ileum was attenuated by atropine, 0.1 microM. Methysergide, a 5-HT1/2 receptor antagonist, and mesulergine, a 5-HT2A/2B/2C receptor antagonist, (1 microM each), enhanced the contractile effect of the NK3 receptor agonist. 5. It is concluded that the acetylcholine release induced by a NK3 receptor agonist is inhibited by stimulation of a 5-HT receptor, possibly of the 5-HT2C or 5-HT2C subtype.
