Spinal modulation of duodenal and colonic motility and arterial pressure by neuropeptide Y, neuropeptide Y fragment 13-36, peptide YY, and pancreatic polypeptide in rats: involvement of the cholinergic nervous system.

The pancreatic polypeptide-fold (PP-fold) peptides, peptide YY (PYY) and pancreatic polypeptide (PP) (200 pmol), increased duodenal intraluminal pressure following intrathecal (IT) administration into the thoracic (T8-T10) spinal cord of urethane-anesthetized rats. Neuropeptide Y (NPY), PPY, and PP (IT) increased colonic intraluminal pressure of rats. The excitatory effects of the PP-fold peptides, NPY and PYY, were accompanied by increases in mean arterial pressure (MAP) during the same time period followed by a decrease to hypotensive levels. There were no further alterations of duodenal or colonic pressure in rats during the hypotensive period. The effect of PP (IT) on MAP was characterized by a pattern of hypotension frequently followed by a hypertensive period. The modulation of duodenal and colonic pressure does not differ between the members of the PP-fold family of peptides; however, the effects of the different members of the PP-fold family of peptides on MAP were varied. The Y2 receptor ligand, NPY (13-36) (200 pmol) (IT), did not alter duodenal and colonic pressure or MAP in rats. Therefore, the effects of PYY and NPY in the thoracic spinal cord on duodenal and colonic motility may be mediated via Y1 (postjunctional) receptors. Atropine, a muscarinic antagonist, attenuated NPY's (IT) excitatory effect on colonic pressure but did not alter the MAP response to this peptide. Atropine did not modify PYY's (IT) regulation of duodenal and colonic intraluminal pressure. However, atropine did attenuate PPY's inhibitory effect on MAP.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)